Cerulean Eyes
by McGarrity
Summary: Complete! A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. ShalBren
1. Chapter 1

Cerulean Eyes

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Pairings: Brennan and Shalimar

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

A young brunette stopped at the corner and tossed her curled ponytail over her shoulder in a practiced movement to reveal startlingly blue eyes. As she rounded the corner into the alleyway, she pressed her hand against the brick wall. For a moment, after she removed her hand, a palm print glowed blue. It pulsed for a moment before being absorbed into the red of the brick. Only a moment after, three men followed her around the corner, sunlight glinted off their identical dark glasses. The hot air from the summer breeze swept down the alley, swinging their trench coats away from their legs. Matching dark suits became visible underneath. Two men gripped long, black, electric batons. The third was empty-handed, but a sinister lump at his back confirmed the existence of another, more sinister weapon.

At the end of the alleyway, the brunette leaned nonchalantly against a chain link fence, her arms crossed under her breasts. Her hair was pulled away from her heart-shaped face drawing attention to her pupil-less blue eyes. The eyes were even more striking because of the surrounding makeup, a combination of dark blue eyeliner and shadow. Her cerulean peasant blouse had fallen off one shoulder to reveal an eagle tattoo. The men stalked into the alley, menacing – hunters stalking their prey.

"Hi, boys," came a voice from above them. The brunette started and looked above her stalker's heads. The men looked up to see a beautiful, leather clad woman perched on the rail of the second story fire escape. She grinned down at them.

"Do you guys all have the same tailor or do you really have no sense of style?" another voice asked. The men spun around to find a tall, dark haired man sauntered toward the men, his ribbed shirt showing off toned arms and chest. "Don't you have something better to do?" One of the men threw a punch at him and he blocked it easily. Brennan Mulray shook his head. "You guys need a hobby."

Shalimar Fox watched from above as Brennan effortlessly took out the first attacker with a roundhouse kick to the man's head. "Need any help?" she teased. Brennan blocked the second man's arm, rolled across the man's back to kick the leader across the face.

Landing on his feet to face the last attacker, he glanced up at her, "No, I think I can handle it." She laughed and dropped down next to him to take down the leader of the posse, who had recovered with surprising swiftness. Brennan dispatched the third member of their adversaries and turned to the brunette. She stared at them with her head cocked her startling eyes fixed on Brennan.

"It's going to be okay," Shalimar advanced on her. "We're here to help you." She took brunette's arm in her pretty fist and the woman's eyes shifted to her. With lightening speed, she brought her arm up under Shalimar. Her fist connected with Shalimar's ribcage with and audible crunch and Shalimar flew backwards, crashed into the brick wall at the entrance to the alley. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and lay still.

Brennan, open-mouthed with astonishment, recovered quickly and conjured a ball of electricity. As he threw the electricity toward the woman, an explosion roared behind him, where Shalimar was. The distraction caused his aim to be just enough off that the brunette dodged, scaling the chain link fence and landing on the other side. She looked back over her shoulder, flipping her hair out of her face and smiled at Brennan. Blowing him a kiss, she fairly flew down the street and disappeared.

Chest heaving, Brennan rushed back to the entrance to the alleyway where he had last seen Shalimar. Rubble littered the ground; a large pile covered the spot where Shalimar lay. Her hand was just visible above some of the rubble, as though she had tried to protect herself from it. At least two of her fingers were broken. Brennan dislodged some of the bricks from her arm, sucking in his breath at the damage that he saw on her arm alone. Carefully, he placed his fingers over her wrist, praying for signs of life. A slow, erratic beat answered his prayers.

Activating his COM-ring, Brennan began to heave rubble off the feral. "Adam! Jesse! Somebody tell me you're listening."

"We're here, Brennan. What's happening?" Adam's welcome voice came over the COM-ring.

"Shalimar's hurt. It's pretty bad, I think. Part of a building caved in on her." Brennan finally found some of the debris around Shalimar's face, clearing it away to check her vitals. "Who the hell was that woman and why did she attack us?" Shalimar's head was turned away from him, and the amount of damage made him afraid to move her. "Answer that later. Just get the hell down here now. I can't tell if she's breathing or not."

"We're on our way, Brennan," Jesse's voice came accompanied by the roar of the engine of the Helix.

"How much of the debris fell on Shal?" Adam asked through the link.

"A lot," Brennan replied. He had started clearing off her torso. A piece of the building had lodged into the right part of her chest and he could see that some of her ribs were broken. He stood up, turning away from the beautiful, broken body. "Adam," he said into his COM, "I don't know that she's going to make it. We may have to call the hospital. She has several broken bones and a broken brick has lodged into her collarbone. I have only gotten her upper body out of the rubble. Adam, I can't even tell if she's breathing. I don't know what to do."

"Yes, you do, Brennan. Don't let your emotions make you foolish. I'll talk you through it." Adam's presence was welcome, even if it was only on the com.

"Hold on, Shal," he whispered to the still form. "Please, Shal, keep breathing."

"How touching," a low laugh drew his attention from the feral. The leader of the men who had attacked them held a sub-machinegun, trained nice and steady at Brennan's head. His sunglasses made it hard to see his eyes, but his expression was fairly readable. He seemed to be really enjoying the scene. Without much of a thought, Brennan lifted his arm and sent a blast of electricity toward the man, sending with it all his anger and frustration. The blast hit him full in the chest and the gun went off. The bullets whizzed over Brennan's head, dislodging more debris from the building. Brennan threw his form over Shalimar's to protect her from the falling bits of bricks and mortar. Looking back at the man he had fried, Brennan saw that his blast had been much stronger than nearly any other he had ever shot off. The front of the man was charred as if he had been cooked.

"Brennan?" Adam's voice was worried. "What happened, Brennan? What just happened?"

Brennan's breath came faster at the implications of the pile of burned meat that used to be an agent. He felt drained. The anger had subsided, and he was aghast and horrified. The remains of the man were blackened as though he had spontaneously combusted. Brennan turned back to the task at hand, too afraid to deal with the dead man and his part in it.

"Nothing," he said to Adam. "One of the agents was still a problem. He's been dealt with." Brennan was amazed at how calm his voice sounded even to him.

"Okay," Brennan wasn't sure if Adam believed him, but left it to another time when the situation wasn't as serious. "Here's what you need to do." Slowly and gently, Adam began to talk and Brennan followed his instructions. Before cleaning her off anymore, he checked to see that her airways were open and that she was breathing. Her mouth had dust and small bits of rubble in it, but her throat was clear. He was relieved to hear her breathing, shallow but steady. Under direction, he lifted both of her eyelids, one at a time to check the pupils and assess any brain damage that may have been caused by the crash into the wall or any of the building falling on her head. Carefully, after relaying that both pupils looked relatively even and there was no bleeding from the eye sockets, Brennan carefully, with as little movement as possible, felt around Shalimar's head to ascertain if there were any bumps, indents, or cuts in her skull. There was a rather large bump on the back that indicated that she had hit the back of her head as she hit the wall. The blood coming from it was minimal, but Adam directed Brennan to remove his shirt and put it under her head without moving her at all. He then finished clearing the rest of her body of the debris.

The finished product made Brennan's heart ache. After having worked with her for more than two years, he had never seen Shalimar look so crushed and broken. There was blood on her face and in her hair. Gravel and dust coated everything, giving her normally tan skin a greyish hue. Quietly, he spoke to Adam about the injuries that he could see, praying that Jesse and Emma were close so that Emma could assess any internal injuries. He was afraid to move her anymore and there were several wounds that he feared were very serious. Adam had directed him through checking all of the vital areas, but Adam wasn't there and Brennan's medical knowledge was negligible. There had been some definite concern in Adams voice during some of the procedure.

By the time the Helix had arrived, Brennan had done as much as he could and Adam was prepping the medical room for Shalimar's arrival. Brennan knelt close to her, elevating her legs with his arms because he had nothing else, encouraging her to hold on. Jesse and Emma brought out a stretcher. Brennan gently raised Shalimar's arms over her head to cradle her neck and spine and he and Jesse lifted her limp body onto the stretcher. Emma oversaw the whole transfer and allowed Brennan to remain as close to Shalimar as possible during the flight.

Emma bustled back and forth from Shalimar and the Emergency First Aid Kit. She used quite a lot of the supplies just trying to stem the bleeding. Emma and Brennan worked together to remove some of the larger pieces of rubble that were embedded in Shalimar. Brennan had been hesitant to remove them before for fear that the bleeding wouldn't be able to be stopped. His fear was justified. One of the largest pieces had embedded in her arm and as they removed it, Emma saw, to her distress, that it had severed an artery and damaged the muscle tissue. She tied a rubber hose around the upper part of Shalimar's arm and directed Brennan to keep constant pressure on the wound for the remaining time.

As some point during the hour and a half flight, Brennan panicked, noticing that Shalimar wasn't breathing. With a shove that sent Emma careening into a chair, Brennan bent over the blond feral, checking for a pulse. It was there – steady, but faint. He knew he had to work fast or it would disappear entirely. Tilting her head back, he checked her airway to see if he had missed anything. Satisfied, he closed her nose with one hand and pressed his mouth to hers, breathing air into her lungs. With his hand on her broken ribs, he could feel her chest rise with his breath. Barely noticed, Emma came up next to him to apply pressure to the most serious wounds.

He pulled back from Shalimar and gulped in another breath before pressing his mouth to hers again. After the fifth breath, he checked her pulse again. Still steady. He breathed for her again, willing the feral to breathe on her own. Once. Twice. Three times. On the fourth breath, he thought he heard something. Shalimar's body convulsed. He pulled his mouth free just as she coughed up blood from her lungs. It sprayed a little around her mouth. He tenderly turned her head to the side so she wouldn't choke. Shalimar spasmed again, her body trying to follow her head. Between Emma and Brennan, Shalimar was able to vomit without choaking and without any further injury. The sight of the blood mixed in with the vomit, more than any of the rest of her injuries, frightened Brennan.

Suddenly Shalimar's eyes opened and she screamed. Emma and Brennan gently laid her on her back. Shalimar whimpered with ever touch and every movement. Her eyes sought Brennan's, confusion and pain writ openly on her face.

"Hey," he said wiping her mouth with a clean, wet towel. "You're going to be fine, Shal. Okay? You just have to hold on until we get back to Sanctuary. I know you can do this, Shalimar. You're going to be okay. Don't…" he bit back the words before they could form. The thought was too painful even to consider. Shalimar's injured, but unbroken hand gripped his with bruising force. Her eyes closed and she lay so still Brennan's heart jumped into his mouth. The force with which she held his hand gave him hope. He looked up at Emma.

She nodded. "She's unconscious," she reassured him. She checked the feral's major wounds. Most had clotted, but she instructed him to continue pressure on Shalimar's arm. Moving away from her wounded friends, she went to report to Jesse. He glanced away from the landscape as she approached but didn't say anything – the tension in the Helix was palpable.

"How is she?" Jesse asked, concentrating on the controls.

"She's hurt," Emma's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away. "There's internal bleeding. I think one of her ribs punctured a lung. I've done all I can to make sure she makes it to Sanctuary." She finally looked at him. "Anything you can do to get us there any quicker may save her life. Jesse," she choked back a sob, "I don't know if she's going to make it." Taking a steadying breath, she gripped the seat.

"I'll get us there. Hold on," he called back to Brennan.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the Helix sped into the hanger. Adam and Brennan double-timed it up to the medical station. Shalimar's hand still clasped Brennan's, but the grip was becoming tenuous. Brennan's breath came in gasps with fear for the feral. Adam got her set up on the table and began working on Shalimar. Brennan refused to leave. It took all Jesse and Emma had to get him out of the room when Adam finally yelled at them all.

For nearly two hours Brennan stood outside the room staring through the glass. Finally, Adam came out to give the team a report. Brennan nearly sprinted up to Adam and the rest of the team hurried after him.

"She's stable. She's going to live," Adam's first words took most of the spirit out of Brennan. His head dropped and his erratic breathing was astonishingly close to sobs. He was still naked to the waist and his torso glistened with sweat. "Shalimar is going to need a lot of time, though," Adam went on. "She has suffered major internal injuries and lost a lot of blood. It could be quite a while before she is back to her old self."

"What exactly are her injuries?" Brennan demanded.

"She has a major concussion, three broken ribs, two broken fingers, and a hairline fracture on one arm. Her lungs are still bleeding and I have to pump it out so she can breathe. She has multiple bruises and cuts. That gash in her chest may leave a mark. Her arm will heal, but she may never regain use of it. She has damage to her back. She's paralized from the waist down." Brennan caught his breath and Jesse put a comforting arm around Emma who had started crying. "It's too early to tell if the damage is permanent, but everyone will know as soon as I do." Adam's head drooped for a moment. "It doesn't look good, but I've done everything I can for her right now."

"Tell me everything that happened to you both. Then I want Emma to do a psych evaluation of you, Brennan, and," he wrinkled his nose, "you need a shower." He patted the younger man's arm. "We'll do everything we can."

---

Three hours later, after Brennan had showered, been examined by Emma and given as detailed a synopsis as he could about the incident, he sat next to Shalimar's bed. Adam had just stepped out for a moment, leaving strict instructions to call him if she woke or moved. Emma entered, bringing a tray of food. She set it down next to him and knelt next to his chair.

"Brennan, you need to eat something and get some rest." Her hand rested on his arm and he felt her giving weight to her words to entice him to take care of himself. He shook off her hold on him and met her eyes.

"I can't," he said. "I have to be here when she wakes up."

She dropped her eyes from his, ashamed that she had tried to use even a small amount of her power on him. "I understand. Just, don't push yourself too hard. It wasn't your fault." She stood, looking down on him. "Is this going to be a problem for you, Brennan?" she asked, trying to be as gentle as possible.

He looked up at her. "I don't know what you mean," he lied. She just looked at him until he dropped her gaze. "I'll be fine."

"You know, Brennan, I know you care about Shalimar, but blaming and torturing yourself isn't going to help her at all. We all care about Shalimar, and Adam's doing everything he can to help her."

Not a muscle in Brennan's face moved as she spoke to him. "Thank you," was all he said before turning his attention back to the bed. Emma sighed and left. Jesse was waiting outside the door for her.

"No luck?" he asked, sliding a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Emma leaned her head against him for a moment, grateful for his support. "No," she said, stepping away from him and leading him down the hall. "He feels guilty about what happened and there is something much deeper. Something that he is repressing with all his might. If he allowed me to read him, I could tell you for certain, but just on a surface level I would say he cares about Shalimar much more than he is letting himself believe. I think it would kill a big part of him if he had lost her today." Jesse nodded.

"We've all known for a while now that their feelings run deeper for each other than for anyone else here," he agreed.

"It's more than that," Emma said, looking back over her shoulder at the door that separated them. "I don't know, maybe I'm looking for something that isn't there." She summoned a small smile, taking a breath. "Anyway, thanks. Get some rest. I want to find this mutant and give her a piece of my mind."

Jesse tried to grin at her pun but it was a wan failure. There was a steely look in her eyes that made him grateful he wasn't the mutant in question. With a sigh, he led her to the couch in the common room, sitting in the middle and taking her into his arms. For a moment, Emma stiffened, then relaxed into his arms and allowed the tears to rush from her. Jesse gently rocked the redhead, feeling tears prick his own eyes until they ran down his cheeks and into her hair. A long time later, they fell asleep, wrapped in one another's arms and in their misery.

Thank you to everyone who has written a review. I've made some changes and I hope that these improve the believability of the story. I have fixed the second and third chapters, so they can be read, too. I will get cracking on continuing the story as soon as possible. I love reviews! Thank you so much for your support!


	2. Chapter 2

2. Chapter 2

Cerulean Eyes

I hope that I have peaked your interest. Here is the second chapter, redone.

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. ShalBren

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

Brennan watched the candlelight flicker over Shalimar's bruised face praying, an activity with which he had very little practice. The moments ticked by slower than any in his entire life. His muscles complained that he hadn't moved in hours, but he paid them little heed, shifting just enough that nothing would fall asleep and thus be unprepared for any movement by Shalimar. He had only barely noticed Adams presence in the hours that passed, never taking his eyes off the blond feral lying so still.

Paralysed. He couldn't believe it. There was a chance, a hope, that Adam was wrong. There was no sure way to tell until she woke and tried to move on her own, but... The word seemed so final. Adam wouldn't have told them if he was relatively certain. Shalimar was a fighter, Brennan told himself. He could imagine her tossing her head and laughing, tall and strong. If..._ when_ she walked again, she would laugh at his concern, displaying her ability by kicking his ass in the ring or on the stairs or...

A flicker of movement from the bed made him fly over to her. Adam was only a step behind. The bruised and bandaged body twitched slightly in sleep and her eyelids rose. Brennan's was the first face that filled her vision. She smiled slightly, blinking away sleep. As consciousness returned, he could see the panic starting to set in as she took in her surroundings, Adam's concerned face over Brennan's shoulder and the bandages covering a majority of her body. It took her two tries to speak. When she managed, her voice was raspy.

"What happened?" Brennan took it upon himself to answer. Adam could explain the medical concerns.

"We went out to bring in a new mutant. I guess she didn't want to be brought in because she fought against us, or you, rather, after we saved her from three of Ashlock's men. Her single punch sent you flying and when I tried to control her, I don't know what happened. It was like there was a bomb in the building that you had been thrown against. The wall blew out and some of it fell on you. I'm so sorry Shalimar. I couldn't... I wasn't able to catch her."

"His concern for you may have enabled her escape, but it certainly saved your life. You are hurt very badly, Shalimar. I've done everything I can for you, but now I need your assistance. You need to take it easy for the next few weeks, if not months. You have a hairline fracture in one arm that needs to heal and your other arm is a mess. It is going to take time to heal and then physical therapy. With effort, you may be able to regain full use of it, but it will be a long process. There is one other thing. The accident fractured a bone in your back. You're paralysed from the waist down. I'm so sorry, Shalimar." Adam's voice broke with emotion. Brennan watched Shalimar's face. Her eyes went wide with shock. One did, the other couldn't open too far. It was a lot to take in with only a few sentences. He saw her struggle to assimilate everything that had been said. Then anguish set into her face as she tried to move her legs and couldn't. Then she screamed.

Her scream ripped through her throat, feeling like it was being torn from her chest. She felt pressure on her arms as the two men tried to hold her down while she screamed her misery. The scream stilled as though it had been cut by a knife. She had sensed something. Her breath came harder as she tried to identify it. Yes! There it was again. She had felt a muscle cramp in her left leg. Speechless with relief, she tried to draw attention to it. It was Brennan that realized what was going on. He ripped the bedclothes off her. Adam mad a move to cover her, then gasped as he saw what Shalimar had felt. Her left leg was twitching with effort. Brennan grasped the appendage in his hands and Shalimar squirmed as his hands found nerves that were not, thank God, as unfeeling as they had seemed to be. The relief nearly put her back under. Adam insisted on running more tests, but he nearly had to pry Brennan's hands from Shalimar in order to perform them.

Brennan fell into a chair and felt hands on him from Jesse and Emma, who had come running when Shalimar had screamed. They had witnessed the miracle, for a miracle it was. As broken as Shalimar had seemed, as much time as it would take, she wasn't paralysed. It may take months, but she would walk again. Brennan put his arms around Emma who had nearly fallen in his lap, sobbing. She hid her face from him, and he knew she was struggling to ward off all the emotions in the room, most especially Shalimar's. She was channelling the feral's joy and pain, expressing them with Emma's candour instead of Shalimar's reticence. It took only a few moments for Emma, and Shalimar, to regain their composure, but Adam ordered all of them out before he continued to work with Shalimar.

Hours went by. Adam emerged in the early hours of the morning, just before the sun rose. Brennan was just outside the door and his call brought Jesse starting out of the chair in which he had dozed. Emma had returned to her room, overcome by emotions only some of which were not her own. Adam waited for her, but his first words nearly knocked them all back down with relief.

"She's not paralysed." His obvious excitement and relief overcame his normal composure and he joined in the group's hugs and tears of gratitude. When the excitement had died down, he turned to the more serious matters at hand. "There are still problems, as you all know. We all need to make sure that Shalimar is confined to her bed for a few days if not weeks and there will be a lot of physical therapy needed for her to get back to peek condition, if she ever can."

"If anyone can bounce back from that kind of beating, it will be Shalimar," Jesse remarked. Brennan said nothing. There was a new feel to him, Emma thought, though she checked herself before using her power to examine him. It was an effort on her part. His eyes spoke volumes and his posture had a new strength to it. There was a new ring to his voice as he spoke.

"We need to find that bitch that injured Shal. I want to make sure she is never able to do this to us again. We need to know exactly what she did. I've never seen anything like her punch to Shal. It was like she had been hit in the gut by an eighteen-wheeler. I think she made some sort of movement before the wall blew, but I can't be sure. If she did, it was damned inconspicuous."

After only a few more minutes of discussion, Adam sent the whole crew off to their rooms to get ready for the day. Brennan didn't follow the others toward the residence quarters. Instead, he folded his arms and blocked Adam's movement. Adam had to raise his eyes in order to meet those of his most controversial protégé.

"Adam, I'm not going to leave Sanctuary until Shalimar has recovered. At least a little. I will do as much as I can to make sure that the rest of you are able to find this mutant." For the first time in Adam's memory, Brennan spat the word out as though it were a curse. "Shalimar is the most important thing right now and I intend to keep her spirits up and make sure she doesn't overtax herself." His tone booked no argument, and even his mentor was not able to bring himself to dispute. Adam also felt guilty for having put Shalimar, even briefly, through the nightmare of believing herself to be paralysed. He nodded his assent to Brennan and they parted.

Early that afternoon, Emma opened the door to Shalimar's room, to a scene that made her smile through her concern. Brennan sat on the floor next to the bed, his head resting on one outstretched arm, the other thrown protectively over Shalimar. Shalimar's bandaged hand was on Brennan's shoulder and her head was turned toward him in her sleep. Emma took a mental projection of the two. Brennan's only ailment was exhaustion and a deep concern for his friend. Shalimar's condition wiped the small smile off Emma's face. Her brows drew together, but she felt the healing beginning.

Jesse found her as she was closing the door. "Adam wants to see us." He put a comforting arm around her. "How is she?"

"Healing, but…" Emma sighed. "This is going to take more time than Shalimar will be willing to admit. Remember when she broke her leg, how long it took for her to be up and around?" Jesse nodded. "She can't force it this time. I don't know how we are going to keep her from hurting herself further." Jesse squeezed her shoulder sympathetically as they made their way past the stairs to the infirmary.

Inside, Adam stared at screen of flickering images. The pictures were of Shalimar; pictures taken the day before of the injuries. Both Emma and Jesse were sickened by the images, even flipping through them as fast as Adam was. The injuries were so fearsome the form of Shalimar was almost indistinguishable. It was obvious that Adam had heard them come in, but he had made no move to face them. Emma studied him critically. His fingers tapped his lips and his shoulders were hunched. What she could see of his eyes in his profile told her he had not slept much, again. The news they were about to receive was not good, of that she was certain even without reading him. She perched on the edge of a table in his peripheral vision.

"What's up, Adam," she asked, troubled by the pictures, his body language, and silence.

"I'm concerned about Shalimar's injuries, the ones that don't seem to be life-threatening. I was distracted earlier with her rib breaks, paralysis, and head injury, but the rest of them," Adam gestured to the images. "They don't make any sense." He sounded frustrated.

Jesse glanced at Emma and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, she did have a building fall on her, Adam. Anything could have happened." Adam looked at him as though he were daft, his fatigue and anger not allowing him to keep his face neutral.

"Not all of her injuries could have come from the building debris," he explained. "Shalimar was his hard enough by this new mutant to throw her at least twenty feet across an alley. When the building fell on her, she must have been lying on her back, so she had to have already been unconscious or nearly so. These injuries," he gestured to the screen, "are from the fallen building." The images appeared as he rattled off. "Bruising on her face, chest and legs, gashes in her arms, broken ribs and fingers, the protrusion from her chest, fractured arm and overall bruising. These, however," and he gestured again; the computer focused in on the specific wounds, "cannot be explained by the debris. The break in her back is consistent with being thrown into a wall, as well as the crack in the back of her skull and severe concussion. This is what I'm interested in." The pictures stopped flashing and a full-body photo of Shalimar, undressed but for scraps of cloth for modesty's sake. Emma winced at the battered condition of Shalimar's body. The picture had obviously been taken before nearly anything had been treated. More bruising and gaping wounds covered her than her normal healthy tan. The computer zoomed in on the feral's lower abs over her intestine. A purplish-red bruise the size of a dinner plate had formed with Shalimar's navel the center.

"This," Adam emphasized, "was not caused by the building falling on Shalimar. There was so much bruising, I had trouble getting the internal bleeding stopped and it broke a couple of her lower ribs. This was caused by our mutant with the startling eyes."

Emma studied the photo, fighting nausea, and disbelieving the extent of the damage could be caused by one person. "How?" she asked. "Brennan said she punched Shalimar in the stomach, but how could she have caused this kind of damage?"

"I can only speculate, but I believe she is an elemental. I think she controls air. In Laymen's terms, Shalimar was punched by a fist of air the size of a bowling ball and the strength of a battering ram. Then, with Shalimar at the end of the alleyway, it was simpler to use another punch at the building, toppling the wall onto Shalimar."

"So what do we do to find this air elemental?" Jesse asked.

"First, I want you and Emma to return to where you picked up Brennan and Shalimar yesterday. See if you can find any evidence that we're on the right track with her mutation, since she is not on any mutant database that I have been able to get into. Also, see what you can find out about those men who were chasing her. I'm going to try to find those eyes Brennan talked about on other databases - like police records. Oh, and Emma," he stopped her as she started out the door, "would you look in on Shalimar before you go? Make sure she is still asleep and comfortable."

"I did and she was." Emma smiled slightly. "She's holding steady and I felt her body beginning to heal. She's a real fighter, our Shalimar. Also, Brennan is sitting with her." Something in her voice must have been more telling than she realized because Adam looked at her sharply and shrewdly before letting her go.

Shalimar woke, sucking in her breath and instantly regretted it. Some of the painkillers had worn off during the night, at least enough for her to assess the damage to her body. She felt broken. Every part of her body hurt. Her back, on which she lay, seemed to be the least of her pains, but lying on it was certainly not an improvement. She started to move and an intense pain from everywhere else made her think better of it. She lay, trying to move as little as possible. Even breathing, which she tried to keep slow and steady, sent shivers of pain.

A weight on her uninjured hand and across her ribs drew her attention. Her muscles started to relax slightly as she felt the warm and calloused fingers of a large hand clasping hers. She smiled slightly; her eyes drifting shut again, and swallowed. A burning pain emanated from her chest as the saliva slid down. Unable to repress it, she cried out softly. Instantly, she felt movement next to her, on the bed and yet not. Brennan raised his head and grimaced before focusing on Shalimar. He leaned over her, his eyes concerned. He smoothed back her hair from her face.

"How are you, Shal?" he asked, worriedly. Shalimar breathed through her nose, trying to get her muscles under control.

"A little sore," she tried to joke, but knew that he saw the pain in her eyes. The words crawled out of a throat as dry and sore any she had ever had. Brennan reached across her to the table by her bedside and when his hand came back into view it was holding a glass with a straw. Shalimar was unable to hide the relief in her face as he maneuvered the glass close enough for her mouth to reach the straw without moving at all. After a few sips, her strength started to give out. Brennan immediately noticed, and gently removed the straw from between her lips, wiping away the blood that had seeped from a reopened split lip.

"Shal, you have to stay awake for just a moment." Looking away from her, he brought his right hand up toward his mouth. "Adam, Shal's awake. Come quickly." He brought his attention back to the fragile-looking petite blond on the bed. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell by her breathing that she was not asleep. He brushed his fingers across an uninjured part of her cheek, opening her eyes to meet his. The door opened and Brennan removed his fingers from Shalimar's face. Adam strode in, as businesslike as possible.

"Good afternoon, Shalimar. How are you feeling?" He walked to the opposite side of the bed as Brennan and pulled a chair up to the feral. He checked her pulse and looked into her eyes.

"Most of the painkillers have worn off," Shalimar admitted, trying not to move, though most of her body felt like it was twitching with pain. Adam's brows went down and he reached into the bag he had brought with him. Pulling out a shot of morphine, he stuck the needle into her IV.

"This should help ease some of that pain, but I don't want to keep you on it for long because you may become dependent on it. Especially because I have to give you a little more than I would for a normal human because your feral side metabolizes it so quickly. Basically, Shalimar, I need you to rest and let your body heal. I can't let you out of bed for at least four days, if not a week."

"A week," Shalimar said astonished, then whimpered at the pain. It seemed to suck the defiance out of her because she took a deep breath and nodded slightly. It hurt something in Brennan's chest to see the defeat in her eyes. Adam looked at him and glanced back down at Shalimar.

"Brennan, I need to see you outside for a few moments." He said, standing and heading out the door. Brennan nodded, but didn't rise right away. Adam paused at the door, then walked through it and shut it behind him.

"Shal," Brennan said, leaning into the blond feral. "You need to heal, but you need to fight this pain, too. I know it hurts, but I don't want to have saved your life only to see your spirit destroyed. It was only a little building. I didn't think that such a puny wall would be enough to stop you." He relaxed a little as some of the fire came back into the feral's eyes. He started to get up and she gripped his hand, keeping him close to her even though he was on his feet.

"Two things, Brennan. One, I'll bet you that the next time we spar together, I will wipe your ass all over the court," She whispered.

"I'll take that bet," Brennan grinned. "What's the other thing?"

"Brush your goddamn teeth because your breath really stinks." Shalimar smiled up into his face, and her grip loosened on his hand.

"You, too, Kitten," Brennan whispered as her eyes closed. "Sleep well." He smoothed her hair, fingers lingering over her cheek. As the door began to close, behind him Shalimar whispered, "Thank you for saving my life, Bren." He didn't catch the whispered words.

Outside, Adam had his back up against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. Brennan looked down at his mentor and felt a strange desire to squirm. Adam simply stared at him for a few moments before he said, "She'll survive and she'll walk again. Everything else can be dealt with." Then he launched into the same explanation he had given the other two members of Mutant X and told Brennan about their mission. Brennan swallowed, remembering the dead man he had left in the alley. He could only hope that the body had been found and disposed of by police. He had to force himself to listen to the rest of what Adam was saying. The theories seemed plausible, but there was something about them that didn't add up. He decided not to raise his doubts at that time. Brennan agreed to meet Adam in a few minutes by the computer, reminding him with a glance of his unwillingness to leave Sanctuary.

After only a few minutes in his room to collect a clean shirt and wash the sleep from his face, he stopped in to check on Shalimar. She was resting peacefully. He rested a hand on her leg, breathing a silent prayer of gratitude before silently slipping out the door and closing it gently behind him. He knew there was nothing for him to do for her, but he couldn't help wanting to look in on her before going to find out what he could do to find this blue-eyed bitch.

He found Adam standing beside the computer, studying pictures of blue-eyed brunettes.

"Great, you're here," Adam exclaimed, as though he hadn't noticed Brennan's approach. "I've compiled a list of women that fit your description. I need you to look through the photographs and let me know if you recognize anyone."

Brennan sat down at the computer and started going through different pictures. There were pages and pages of them.

"Adam, this is going to take forever!" He grumbled.

"Well, your description was a little vague.'Brunette, petit, early twenties, very blue eyes.' Mutant, probably a closet because she hasn't shown up in any of our mutant databases, but I have found a few that fit the general description and…"

"I recognize her," Brennan paused on a picture of a black-haired woman.

"Is that the mutant?" Adam asked, unable to keep the excitement from his voice or body.

"No, she and I were in English together. Armed robber," he read from her file. "Attempted break from a Women's prison gave her another five years. I always knew she was trouble." He continued to flip through the pictures and mug shots. Adam rolled his eyes.

"Let me know if you find anyone that you recognize from _yesterday_," he emphasized. And walked away to another computer that he could continue to work on. Brennan hid a smile and continued to work.

Jesse landed the Helix on a building close to the wreckage from yesterday's episode. He and Emma made their way down to the alley where they had picked up Shalimar and Brennan. It showed how bad things were in this part of town that there had been no clean-up of the debris caused by the fallen building. The blood was still around where Brennan had pulled Shalimar out of the debris, and the smell of charred meat still hung around the building.

Emma and Jesse split up to search for clues about the mutant. Emma went to the mouth of the alleyway and began a psychic search as she moved back down to the fence at the end. Jesse shifted debris wincing as he found blood on almost everything. He gasped in surprise as he tried to lift an exceptionally heavy piece. From the pattern of blood he had been able to get a general area of where Shalimar had lain when the building fell on her and his hands shook as he realized that the piece he was trying to move had missed her head by inches. If that piece had been any closer…

A cry from Emma drew his attention, and he dropped the wall, his head shooting up from any sign of danger. Emma stood close to the opposite wall – the one still standing – crouched over something black with soot. When he got to her, he was shocked to discover it was the body of a man. The clothes he had been wearing indicated that he could have been one of the suited men that always seemed to plague Mutant X every time they went out. He also had a weapon, twisted to a metallic lump by whatever had killed him. Jesse looked closer, covering his mouth and nose with his shirt to peer at the man's face. He looked back up at Emma who was not looking at him but concentrating on the body.

"He was electrocuted." Jesse said, unable to even begin to think of the possible ways the body could have been electrocuted.

"By Brennan, yes," Emma said it for him. His mouth opened in fear and shock and she continued. "This is something that we need to tell Adam as soon as possible. It is even more dangerous that the new mutant. We need to go, now!" She rose from her crouched position in a fluid motion. Jesse stared at her.

"Emma, we can't just leave without finding anything about yesterday's events. What if Brennan asks us what we found or why we were only here for a little while. Help me with the debris at least. We can at least find out if Adam's theory is right about the new mutant throwing air. Besides, something other than Brennan must have fried him. No electric current could have done this to him. He must have hit something that continued to send Brennan's current through him until he… died." Jesse swallowed as he looked at the dead body again. "We should probably take the body back with us so that Adam can have a look at it and determine," he paused, "what killed him." Emma nodded and while she looked through the debris, he went back to the Helix to find something they could wrap and carry the body back in. He was _not_ going to smell that man all the way back to Sanctuary.

When he got back Emma had found several clues and brought pieces of the wall out from the debris to make a small pile. All of the pieces were glowing a bright blue. Together, they wrapped the body and Jesse picked it up while Emma collected her findings. The trip back to Sanctuary was uneventful, especially compared to the day before. Both were occupied with their thoughts about the man in the back and Brennan's part in his death, concern for Shalimar, and questions about the glowing pieces of wall Emma found.

Please read and review. Any reviews are welcome. I always like to hear comments about how I can improve. I ahve redone a little of the third chapter and will get started continuing the story. Thank you for your support. I love critiques!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, third chapter is redone, though it didn't need much. Thanks for all the support. I promise to continue the story as soon as possible.

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. ShalBren

Disclaimer: Mutant X characters are not mine. Unfortunately.

Three days later...

at around midnight, Shalimar woke with a heavy feeling in her gut. It took her a moment to realize that it was from a full bladder and not foreboding. She had been flat on her back for four days now and was more than sick of it. Adam or Jesse was always around to make sure she took her medication and see if she needed anything. Emma was always around to take care of anything that the boys couldn't handle and helping her cope mentally with the injuries. Brennan was just always around. Unlike the others, though, his presence didn't seem to bother her quite as much. He just wasn't as intrusive; He had bathed her face one morning when she had woken with her cheek tacky with blood from a reopened wound. He had even brushed out her hair one evening before she went to sleep because she had complained that she had no idea how bad she looked. He was always there when she needed something and around when she didn't. Her feral senses constantly tingled with his presence, a feeling that annoyed her less than she would admit and even perhaps secretly pleased her.

She looked around surreptitiously and found him asleep on the couch the boys had moved into her room probably for the purpose of looking after her more comfortably. Though it took up most of the floor space left after the bed, Shal didn't mind, she wasn't walking around the space anyway. Silently, she took stock of her body. Being feral, she healed faster than a normal human, but she knew that it would still take a lot of time.

Her ribs still ached in a way that refused to recede, and she was vain enough to groan over the scar tissue that would permanently mark her upper chest. She started to sit up and a sharp pain in her stomach made her look down. It was still purple, but with the edge of green that marked the beginnings of healing. Overall, she was still in bad shape, but it could be worse, she reminded herself, forcibly. It nearly had been worse. She had been on her feet once since the accident, with Emma supporting one arm and Brennan the other. Though she feared failure, she would overcome this as she had overcome every other obstacle in her life. There was no reason, she thought, mildly frustrated, that she couldn't use the toilet without assistance.

Slowly and softly, she threw back the covers. When there was no movement from the couch, she carefully swung her legs down and used her good arm to get herself upright. It was a more arduous process than she had originally thought and she was breathing hard, and trying not to curse, as she planted her feet on the floor. Her knees threatened to buckle, but she balanced with both hands on the bed. Grinding her teeth, she glanced at the couch. Brennan had not moved. Slowly and carefully, she balanced on her feet, standing for the first time since she had been told she may never walk again. Her first step was nearly her last, but she forced herself to remain upright. She took the four steps into the bathroom as quietly as possible, which she admitted might not be as quiet as she thought, but she was functional and mobile at least.

When she was washing her hands, at a trickle so as not to wake Brennan, she thought how foolish she was to feel triumphant about being able to use the toilet by herself. She dried her hands, shut off the light, and opened the door, using the doorjamb to keep herself upright. The dark towering form of Brennan stood framed in the doorway. The scented light behind him flickered which spoke to Shal of one of her lavender aromatherapy candles. Shal wasn't surprised to see him, which was the only reason why she didn't hurt herself by being startled. The surprise came when Brennan said nothing. He moved away from the door, close enough to catch her if she started to fall, but not close enough to help her or offer support. He didn't speak or try to touch her as she passed him toward the bed. His restraint remained as she sat down slowly, lay down even more slowly and tried to pull the covers back up. At this her body let out a cry of protest and she was not strong enough to cover the small squeak of pain. Brennan was there in an instant, laying her back onto the pillow and covering her with the blankets. Then he sat back on the couch and looked at her.

Tears of gratitude at his forbearance almost overcame her, but she blinked them away. This new maturity in Brennan made him more appealing and for the first time she wondered if this friendship with him meant more to her than she had ever thought possible. She blinked again and turned her face to watch him watching her. Neither of them moved or spoke for a while, but the silence was comfortable, not strained.

Though Shalimar's feral senses made it easy for her to see in the dark, the flickering light of the candle actually hindered her sight because of its erratic nature. Brennan's eyes were shaded by his brow and sable locks that fell over his forehead. His half-closed eyes were watchful even as the tension in his body reminded Shalimar that he was as strong and nearly as agile as she. His quiet voice made her start, the silence having let her drift toward sleep.

"Do you need anything?" His hands were relaxed, but she suddenly sensed the tension that sung through his forearms. "Did you... how are you healing?"

"No. I'm okay," she felt that he deserved more of an answer, so she continued, "This is going to take time, I know. But I've started to heal and I'm functional and alive. And I can walk. I have a lot to be thankful. I don't think I thanked you for..." Her voice got quiet at the end.

He looked surprised. "For what?" Shal suddenly felt awkward. The team had never felt the need to thank each other for protecting them, but Shal felt the need to do so now.

"For saving my life," she replied, adverting her gaze. He waved it away.

"I don't deserve that. Emma saved you in the Helix and Jesse was flying fast enough that we got you to Adam in time for him to save you. All I did was watch another woman nearly kill you and then move a few stones when I missed killing her." and killed another man in a way no person should be killed, he added silently.

Shal turned her head away from him. She knew from the information that she'd gleaned over the past few days that Brennan's part in the incident was all that he described and more. She knew he had breathed life back into her from the scraps of memory that she had collected and little things that Emma had let slip. She also understood that his self-depreciating manner right now was not faked. He was hurting and blaming himself and she was too tired and in too much pain to stroke his wounded ego.

Calloused fingers stroked her cheek, moving her face back to him. "Are you in pain?" he asked, misinterpreting her movement. "Can I get you something?"

"A stiff brandy," she joked. He smiled, knowing that she didn't drink brandy. "Yes, I am in pain. I expect I will be for a while longer, but I am alive. And I know that I owe at least some of that to you. Just smile and say you're welcome like normal people do when they are given gratitude." His fingers still lay against her cheek. He whispered, "You're welcome," and lowered his head onto her pillow. His shoulders started to shake and his hand spasmed against her cheek. It took her a moment to realize that he was crying.

"Brennan? Are you all right?" Shalimar was really concerned. In all the years she had known him, she had never seen Brennan cry.

"I thought I was going to lose you," came muffled from the pillow. Shalimar's heart filled at this comment and she fought to keep from crying herself. She moved a little away from him, despite the pain that flared up again at her movement. Brennan raised his face from the pillow, wet with tears for her, and hurt writ plain on his features. He had misinterpreted her movement again. Shalimar smiled at him and patted the bed with her good hand.

It took a little manuvering - with her injuries and his tall frame, they didn't fit well on her double bed, but they managed. Shalimar ended up comfortably on her back with Brennan's head on her unmarked chest and shoulder, and his arm thrown protectively over her hips. It had started over her ribs, but they complained so loudly at the extra weight that he was forced to move.

He had stopped crying before they were comfortable and she was trying not to laugh, it hurt too much. His cheek was still wet when he rested it against her shoulder and she turned her face to put her cheek against his unkempt hair. He slept then, and it didn't take her long to emulate him. She woke only once when he whispered something and clung tighter to her, waking her injuries first. She shushed him, murmuring words of comfort. She thought she heard her own name once before he quieted. She didn't wake when he left.

Brennan managed to get showered and dressed before Shalimar woke. When he returned to Shal's room, Emma was helping Shalimar to get up and toward her morning routine. Brennan took himself off shortly afterward when Emma made it perfectly clear that Shalimar did not need him skulking, her word, around while she was taking a shower. Brennan smiled a little as he left, trying not to picture Shalimar in the shower and then sobering at the thought of her broken body. He schooled his features as Adam came around the corner. Something told Brennan that this was not a chance encounter. Adam had been suspiciously aloof to Brennan and both Emma and Jesse had been watching him closely without seeming to. Brennan's suspicions were confirmed when Adam ushered him into his office.

"How are you coming with the pictures?" Brennan was so caught off-guard by the question that he answered it almost without thinking.

"She's not in them." He took a deep breath and sighed. "I've nearly gone through all of them, Adam, and I haven't seen eyes nor face that look remotely like hers. I don't know, Adam. Maybe she doesn't really have blue eyes."

"You were very sure about the color of her eyes. In fact, when you were asked to describe her, you immediately said that she had blue eyes." Adam reminded him unnecessarily.

"That's just it, Adam." Brennan started pacing. "What if she faked the feature that we would remember best so we wouldn't recognize her later. I mean, if someone looks at a suspect, the first thing they remember is the feature that stands out the most, so, if the suspect changes a feature to make sure that it will stand out the most, but that feature is fake, he makes people see what he wants them to and not really what he looks like."

Adam was looking at Brennan in a way he never had before. "That is an interesting point, Brennan. And very astute of you to think of it." There was definitely surprise in his eyes.

"Well, but if I AM thinking of it, then it may not actually be right," Brennan was serious even with his slightly mocking smile.

"But worth checking into," Adam straightened and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You are a lot smarter than you think, sometimes, Brennan. Meekness is a virtue, but one that can be taken too far." Brennan looked down, thinking that Shalimar had said almost the same thing the night before and remembering how it felt to be in her arms, even if they were only comforting.

"I know about the agent that you killed after Shalimar was hurt," Adam said suddenly. Brennan sat down without looking and nearly fell off the chair behind him. He stared at Adam for a moment and then put his face in his hands.

"I know," he said softly. "I knew Jesse and Emma would find it, and if they didn't, I meant to come and talk to you about it, but there was too much going on and I kept finding excuses not to ask you about it and," he dropped his hands and looked directly at Adam. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I've been looking over the body that Jesse and Emma brought back and I would like to take a blood sample from you. It is possible, Brennan, that the extra charge was simply repressed emotions surfacing and being expelled. It may just have been your own frustration and anger at seeing Shalimar hurt and your concern for a friend amplified your power." He put his hand on Brennan's shoulder again. "I don't want you to worry about this, Brennan. I don't think I am going to find anything contrary to the theory that I just told you, I am just covering all the bases."

Brennan succumbed meekly to the blood sample and left to study more brunette pictures without saying another word. Adam watched him walk away, thinking hard, his face neither readable, nor comforting.

That night, Shalimar lay on her side, the first time since the accident that she had been able to do so, and mourned the fact that Brennan wasn't there. He hadn't come back to her room all day since Emma had shooed him out that morning. She wondered if something had happened and she hoped that he would be back by morning. She was a little concerned at this feeling, but she felt comforted by his presence and she hadn't realized how much until he wasn't there.

The door behind her opened and she smiled slightly, relaxing in the knowledge that Brennan was back. She breathed in heavily, and froze. The scent in the air was not Brennan's. In fact, it was no scent that she knew and definitely no scent that should be in Sanctuary, much less her room. All her senses on high alert, she rolled toward the stranger, ready to put up a fight no matter how her body complained.

She was not given a chance to do so. As soon as she rolled over, a lithe form sprang on the bed to straddle her ribs and a strong hand clamped down over her mouth. Another gripped her wrists almost bruising and wrenched her arms over her head. She bucked and slammed her ribs on the person's body. Her scream of pain was muffled by the hand over her mouth and she went limp, trying to regain consciousness without the pain. When she had stopped struggling, the figure made sure that none of its weight was on her injured body.

"Shalimar," a calm, masculine voice whispered in her ear, "don't struggle. I am not here to hurt you. I'm here to heal you." A sense of calm so strong it nearly overpowered her mind calmed her body of its pains. "I'm going to let go of you," the man continued. "Please don't scream, or I will be forced to silence you again and that would be painful to you." She nodded, slightly and at the shoots of pain in her arms, knew he hadn't healed her yet. The hand at her mouth loosened and fell away. Shalimar licked her lips, but made no effort to scream. When the stranger was satisfied that she wasn't going to, he released her wrists and helped to lower her arms into more comfortable positions. He swung his leg back over her and sat down next to her on the bed.

Shalimar's eyes were adjusted to the dark and she stared at him with her feral senses fully charged, but couldn't see his features. His hair fell over his brow and face like a curtain of blackness that even her acute senses couldn't penetrate. His trim body leaned forward toward her face.

"I am sorry about your accident and I would like to heal you, if you'll let me," he said.

"I don't know you," Shalimar replied. "Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't," was the calm reply, and it was the only one that she would have trusted. "I feel responsible for what happened to you the other day. Your accident. The woman who hurt you..."

"You know her?!" Shalimar exclaimed. "Who is she? Where..." He held up a silencing hand, but didn't cover her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I can't answer any questions about her. Suffice to say that she is my responsibility and mine to watch over and I was not careful enough. Your injuries are my responsibility and I feel compelled to heal you, but you have to let me in enough to allow me to do so, or I cannot, even if I wish to."

Shalimar thought it over. She had been healed by a mutant with similar abilities before, and she knew how dangerous it could be. He was willing to take on all her pain in order to make things right between them because the woman was his responsibility? It was plausible, but it made her suspicious. There was an overwhelming need to trust him and that made her even more suspicious.

"What do you want me to do in exchange? Not tell my team why I am so miraculously healed? Stop looking for her?" He chuckled softly.

"No, I ask nothing in exchange because it is only right for me to heal you. It is my responsibility. I would have been here sooner, but your psyonic was particularly difficult to overcome and I didn't want to answer any of the questions I know your team would ask if they had me."

"What did you do to the rest of my team?" Shalimar demanded. She started to rise, but he pressed a hand down on her uninjured shoulder.

"Nothing, you have my word. I just made sure my presence would go unnoticed for the time being. They are in no danger, but I prefer to stay out of their hands for now. Please, Shalimar let me heal you. I have little time to do it now and I want to make things right." His voice was pleading, his eyes glinted with what looked like tears. Shalimar felt that she could trust him, in this at least, and nodded. He let out a breath she hadn't noticed he had been holding.

"Thank you, Shalimar. Relax. Close your eyes. That's it. This is not going to hurt you." His voice had taken on a hypnotic tone, and she did as he asked.

A gentle, but firm hand was placed on either side of her face, thumbs at her cheekbones and index fingers on her temples. His hands were warm, unnaturally so. With her eyes closed, she could smell him better and relaxed more deeply into the bed. A light tickled at the edge of her eyes, as though he had started to glow, but instead of making her want to open her eyes, she shut them tighter. His mouth closed over hers.

She was so relaxed, she couldn't have struggled, but it never even crossed her mind. The kiss was chaste, skin pressed against skin, feeling no different than his fingers pressed against her cheeks. The light was strengthening, now, but it was inside her head. It rose from her mouth to the top of her head and felt as though it were leaking out of her hair. It coursed down her neck and surrounded her heart. She could see, internally, her heart absorbing the light and sending it down her veins, wiping away the dark discolorations of her injuries. It flowed down her arms and her bones knit with a pleasant crack. She could feel her shoulder wound heal and reform with perfect skin, not the scar she had feared. Her ribs popped back into place and knit themselves much as her other broken bones had. The light paused at her stomach. The stranger's voice entered her mind, _I'm sorry, Shalimar. I cannot heal this. It was not done by the building._ Before she could think about the ramifications of this statement, the light continued, going around her stomach bruise like water in a river going around an exceptionally large boulder. Her legs healed and relaxed more than they had in days. Shalimar felt herself sliding under the sweet protection of slumber, but struggled for a moment as his lips pulled away and the light died.

"You may tell your friends what you remember about tonight, Shalimar," that had an ominous ring to it. "And now we are even." He released her face and the bed moved as he lifted his weight from it.

"Wait," Shalimar said, through her losing battle against sleep. "Who are you? How can I contact to you again?" He laughed and she succumbed to sleep. Her dreams overtook her and she ran through the forest of a blue twilight, running for the sheer joy of running. But in the midst of her joy, she knew she was both the hunter... and the hunted.

I'm sorry to say that my computer at home has crashed, but I will try to continue updating Cerulean Eyes as much as possible. Thank you for your support, and as always, I love reviews and critiques.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Cerulean Eyes

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Pairings: Brennan and Shalimar

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

Shalimar woke early the next morning feeling better than she had in years. She didn't want to open her eyes, afraid that the healing that she had experienced the night before had been nothing more than a magnificent dream. Sunlight glinted behind her lids, announcing the dawning of the day, so she reluctantly opened her eyes. The sun had just risen, blinking behind the trees. Hesitantly, she turned her head away from the sun. It didn't hurt. With mounting incredulity, she moved each of her limbs and finally, stretched. Only the bruised muscles of her stomach made any kind of complaint.

Shalimar's mouth opened in a silent gasp of delight. Just as the man had implied, every part of her body, including the ribs under the retained bruise, had been completely healed. With mounting excitement, she ran her hands over her body, feeling the smooth, scar-free skin. She sat up, an exclamation of delight on her lips, when a movement nearby checked the sound. Brennan lay on the couch next to her bed. His arm was thrown up over his head and his mouth was open. He was asleep. Shalimar studied his face. There were lines around his eyes and mouth that hadn't been there when they had first met. His features had always been chiseled, but much of the boyishness had been beaten out of him more recently. His face could still hold the boyish charm and mischievous light for which he was so famous. Now, as he slept, Shalimar could se the man behind the mask of immaturity.

Shalimar mourned the wrinkles, but, where she had found the boyish Brennan attractive, she found the man more compelling. The strength of character that had been expressed over the last few days drew her as no amount of flirtatious teasing had been able to. His attention and sincere regard had made her more comfortable than anyone else. She felt close to him, more so even than Jesse now, whom she had known for longer.

Slowly, Shalimar pushed the bedclothes back and swung her feet to the floor. She remembered the identical motion only about thirty hours before and closed her eyes at how different it felt. She stood. It was nearly impossible to put into words, even in her own head, what was different between this day and the one before, but there was no pain, no hopelessness, and no fear. She felt as though she could have run up the wall and flipped. In fact, she thought, she probably could, but she would wait for more appropriate surroundings. She walked into the bathroom, having to concentrate on not skipping. Her reflection stared back at her, joyful, shining, and unbruised. Quickly and quietly, she went to the bureau and pulled on a pair of wide-legged, black sparring pants and a tank top. She twisted her hair into a knot and left her room, leaving Brennan asleep on the couch.

Barefooted, she padded down the halls, feeling as though she could fly. Her pace picked up until she was fairly flying. She reached one of the sparring rooms and was barely out of breath. The run had been a good warm up, she decided, and began to stretch. She was careful of the bruise on her stomach as she stretched and twisted her body to limber up after almost a week of bed rest. She was surprised to discover that the bruise was nearly painless.

She started doing combinations on a convenient heavy bag, going through her most rigorous routine. She was nearly through her second round when she heard the first signs of the other occupants of Sanctuary. Knowing it was only moments before she, and her miraculous recovery, were discovered, Shalimar went into her last combinations with an enthusiasm that bordered on ferocity before working through her cool-down. She was on the floor when the shouting started.

She could here him, frantically calling her name; both over the com-ring and echoing down the halls. He was trying to simultaneously call for her and apprise Adam of the situation. Adam couldn't get a word in edgewise. Shalimar stifled an inappropriate giggle, activating her com-ring and gave them her location. Only seconds went by before Brennan burst into the room, sweating as though he had just run for miles, which, considering Sanctuary's size, it was possible he had. Emotion had overcome common sense. He swept her up into his arms, headless of the wounds he didn't know had healed. Shalimar made a small noise of protest as his arms crushed around her bruise. He immediately released her with wide-eyed apologies, his eyes nearly as frantic that he had hurt her. She gently removed his hands and turned to face Adam, Jesse, and Emma who had only been moments behind Brennan. They were stopped dead by the sight of her, uninjured and standing before them. Brennan, still at the forefront, dropped to his knees, running his hands over her hands and arms, not believing the evidence before him. Adam, too, for got decorum and took her face in his hands. Shalimar suddenly felt like the latest edition of something or other the way they all stared at her. Her feral instincts enjoyed it, however, so she didn't complain. It took long minutes of hands, exclamations, and some tears before they were satisfied that she was healed. Adam was especially curious as to why the healing had not included the bruised abs. Shalimar began to explain, but Brennan interrupted.

"Why don't we all adjourn to more comfortable surroundings and let Shal tell us everything in order." It was a sound suggestion and Shalimar was grateful. They retired to one of the common rooms and Adam indicated a chair for her. Then he sat down and stared at Shalimar. Brennan handed her a water bottle and a towel, then he sat down and stared at her. Having gotten everyone's attention, Shalimar began.

She told them everything, from the first moment the intruder entered her room to allowing him to heal her. Then she stopped. She suddenly felt embarrassed and guilty about the mode of healing. There was no reason, she assured herself, for these feelings and there may be a valuable clue within her testimony, but still she hesitated. Finally, with the curious gazes of the others on her, she recounted the healing in detail, leaving nothing out. When she got to the part about the kiss, she stared at the floor and met no one's eyes, fearing the gaze of one. Only a mutter and a growl punctuated the story. It was enough to bring just a hint of color to her cheeks. She ended her narrative with her inability to stay awake and the impression of wildness that he left. Adam immediately began picking her brain on impressions, stray thoughts and implications that he made during the encounter. He was especially intense about the reason for leaving the bruise and the stranger's repeated declaration of responsibility for the accident.

They talked for hours. Jesse got up once and brought back sandwiches for everyone. After having lived together for so many years, they were all pretty good at ordering or making food for the whole group. At another point, early in the discussion, Emma left to return with a pencil and paper. As Shalimar spoke, Emma began to draw and scribble. After a few minutes of that, she gave up drawing and simply scribbled, remarking only, "He clouded your mind's vision, and he did a damned good job. How did he get into Sanctuary?" This last comment was more to herself more than anyone in particular. Adam answered anyway.

"He walked in the front door," Adam sounded exasperated. His mighty computer had been foiled. "Whatever ability he has to cloud the mind extends to the electric mind as well. I've done what I can to get the surveillance cleaned up, but the best I've been able to do is get a outline of the individual that infiltrated Sanctuary. "Emma, have you come across any psychological residue?" Emma looked as chagrinned as Adam sounded.

"There is a residue, but…" she shrugged. "It doesn't feel right. Without Shalimar having met and communicated with him, I would never have noticed him. Not only is it barely discernable, but also I would have said it was neither male nor human. I can only tell that it came and went. The only other impression I got is the feel of a cage, which is why I didn't think I was human. It doesn't even line up with Shalimar's impression of the intruder."

Shalimar scented the air. There definitely had been something foreign in Sanctuary but, like Emma, she couldn't get a bead on it. Then she thought of something.

"When did you come to my room, Brennan?" she asked. "I saw you on the couch in the morning, but you couldn't have been there during the healing last night." Brennan shifted slightly looking uncomfortable.

"I don't remember," he said, squirming like a guilty schoolboy. "I remember going to my room to sleep, but feeling uncomfortable. I dozed for a time and then woke and every nerve quivered. It was like the old days when I repressed my electricity. My body felt like it was humming with electricity. I got up and went out into the common area. The next thing I remember is waking in Shal's room with the bed empty. I saw nothing or, if I did, I can't remember it."

Adam gestured to Emma and she thrust her mind into Brennan's, hunting for the memories that he had repressed. Brennan tried to relax and make Emma's job easier, but his nerves started humming. He could feel electricity crackling at his fingertips and balled his hands up into fists to keep from accidentally setting off a charge. Emma, knowing that the risk had intensified, sent calming thoughts into his brain, trying to help him regain control. Brennan's power paid no heed to Emma's soothing. It seemed Emma was aggravating the situation, so she pulled out quickly. Brennan stood, radiating electricity. Adam stood, too.

"Brennan," he admonished sharply. "Control yourself! You are stronger than this! You control your power, not the other way around. Get a grip on this or it will consume you!" There was real fear in his voice as he finished that did nothing to calm the nerves of the others. Shalimar, who knew nothing of Brennan's magnification, launched herself at Brennan. Jesse gasped as Shalimar gripped Brennan by the collar and, using their momentum, threw him nearly across the room. Brennan rolled across the carpet and was on his feet only a moment after Shalimar.

"Shalimar! No!" Adam cried. "His power has intensified! If he hits you with a blast, he will kill you!" None of the others wanted to see a teammate killed, especially by one of their own. Shalimar growled a laugh and launched herself at Brennan again. He, in turn, threw himself to the side to avoid her, trying to concentrate on neither being attacked by her or killing her with an electronic charge. His face was a mask of concentration.

"I could kill you, Shal!" he rasped through a throat as tight as the rest of him. "I don't know how to control power like this. Please don't do anything that will draw fire!" Shalimar laughed again, her smile ferocious.

"You can try to kill me, but I don't think you will succeed. You haven't hit me yet. Now is not the time to start. Aim at me, discharge, and then get yourself back under control. I promise, you wont hit me." And with that, she hurled herself at him again, this time aiming for his shoulders. Her hands and then her feet landed on his shoulders, driving his head into her abdomen. The blow knocked the breath out of Shalimar, making her head spin and her vision darken. Unaware of her pain, Brennan aimed, closed his eyes, and fired. The blast crashed into the wall, reverberating through the Sanctuary and knocking out all the lights in the place. Emma screamed and it was echoed by another scream that faded into the dark.

Thank you to everyone who has written and I hope that you enjoy this new chapter. I would love any reviews or requests for more (dialogue, action, romance, fill-in-the-blank). Please read and review. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Cerulean Eyes

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Pairings: Brennan and Shalimar

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

The emergency lighting got power back up in only seconds. Brennan opened his eyes as the lights came back on, breathing hard and feeling sick. Adam struggled to his feet. Jesse was already there. Emma sat on the ground, her arms and legs curled around her stomach. Shalimar lay on the ground near a charred spot on the wall.

"Fuck!" Shalimar said, sitting up and staring at the charred mark on the wall. "What the fuck have you been eating?"

"I don't know," Brennan said. His voice was fairly normal, but his heart pounded in his ears, trying to make up for the beats it had lost before she had moved. "Adam told me it was nothing, but I can't control it like I have before. And if something like this happens again, I may not have you for target practice. Damn it, Shalimar, I could have killed you." Shalimar pursed her lips and smiled slightly.

"Actually, you almost did." At his open-mouthed astonishment, she raised her eyebrows and lowered her eyes. "I forgot about my stomach," she admitted sheepishly. "Your head hit me in the bruise and I lost about a second. If Emma hadn't realized my predicament and taken the brunt of the pain, I might not have moved in time. Are you okay, Emma?"

Emma hadn't moved or spoken. Her breath came in ragged intakes that sounded harsh and pain-filled. After only a couple more seconds, she relaxed her posture, leaning her head back against the wall. "I can't imagine how you got through the last few days, Shal," she said, her eyes still closed. "If all of your injuries were as painful as that one…" she trailed off. Shalimar shrugged.

"Mostly not. This one actually only seems to hurt if it is touched. Earlier, when I was working out, it was nearly painless. I almost didn't notice it. If Brennan's head hadn't been so hard, you wouldn't have had to go through with that. Thanks." She squatted by Emma and they smiled at one another. Adam cleared his throat.

"I have analyzed Brennan's blood and have found something that strikes me as odd, though not odd enough to concern me. Yet." After doing a quick assessment of his team, he led them into the lab. The computer there was one of the smartest in the world, and Adam was one of the smartest gene scientist in the world as well. Together, they were a powerful combination.

"Normally, Brennan has electricity in his blood, one of the reasons that he is able to channel electricity through his hands. The only abnormality that I found was that the level of electricity in his blood is nearly twice that of normal. I think the easiest way to counteract this sudden growth in your power is to discharge twice or three times as often, at least until I can come up with a better solution. Just go target practice somewhere where you wont hurt anything." His explanation and suggestion were sound to everyone. He even went as far as to include the rest of the group in his suggestion. Under orders, now, they were all required to use their mutant power as much as possible. None of them were surprised by the order, after Adam had explained Brennan's problem. Having powers were wonderful, but uncontrolled power could get you killed, especially if it was unpredictable.

Shalimar spent most of the rest of the day trying to get herself up to peak condition. She knew, as everyone did, that the longer it took for her to heal, the longer it took for her to get back into shape. Adam also insisted on giving her a thorough examination and Jesse kept her busy trying to talk her through some computer things that he thought could help them reconstruct the image of the new mutant. Shalimar also thought about Brennan a lot, but Adam had urged him to use as much time as possible getting his electricity expended so that he didn't have to have another discharge in an area unequipped for those kinds of explosives. Also, Brennan was more quiet and thoughtful than normal, keeping out of everyone's way.

It was late before Brennan and Shalimar had a chance to talk.

"Brennan, why didn't you tell me about your power problem?" Shalimar demanded as soon as they were alone. She was perched on the arm of the sofa in his room, feeling too confined after four straight days in her room. Brennan sat opposite her, his face in his hands.

"Can you blame me?" he asked through his fingers. He raised his head and looked at her squarely. "You were injured, possibly dying. Then I was told you were paralyzed. Then I watched you be unable to get out of bed without assistance. I think I am justified in saying that your problems were a touch more serious than mine. Besides," he added, leaning back and crossing one ankle over the other knee, "the only information that I had was that I had charred one guy to a blackened husk and haven't been feeling quite as weak after I take a shower. Without Adam's information, the only thing you could have done is worry. And you would have had plenty of time to do that flat on your back in bed. Why did you let that _mutant_ embrace you?" Shalimar was taken back by the question.

"I din't really know that was what he was going to do," she pointed out. "I thought it would be something like that other healing mutant, but he didn't seem to take on my injuries, just heal the ones I had. I can't get over the sensations and lights I saw while being healed." She was thinking internally, but her words seemed to stir Brennan up.

"I suppose, then, that I should thank him," he spat, with angry sarcasm in his voice. "I suppose if we see him again, I will have to thank him properly before telling him to keep his ward a little more tightly controlled so that these little mishaps don't happen in the first place!"

"At least he was responsible enough to get in here an heal me! I would expect you to thank him for healing me, if you cared about me at all!"

"Would you let him kiss you again?!"

"If that was his way of healing, I don't think that I would have any say in the matter. I know you don't have any say about whom I kiss and who kisses me. Besides, it wasn't a bad kiss." She shot back. Brennan stood and turned away. Instantly, Shalimar regretted her words. The kiss hadn't mattered to her in the least, but it obviously was affecting Brennan. Plus, she was starting to be able to admit that she wanted Brennan to have a say in her life, especially the part about whom she kissed and who kissed her.

"You make me so mad, sometimes, Shal." His voice was calm, his back still to her. "Can't you see that it is only concern for a fellow teammate that makes me say these things? You haven't any sense, sometimes! How could you trust anyone that would sneak into Sanctuary and then heal you by kissing you!" His reproach stung a little, but her temper was rising and it made her reckless.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow and struck a pose. "So you would be concerned about Jesse being kissed by another mutant?" She laughed harshly. "You worry about me. You are an arrogant, sanctimonious, over-protective...!" Brennan spun round.

"Over-protective!" he roared. "If you would stop and think about your actions once in a while, maybe you wouldn't need someone to be protective of you! Damn it, Shalimar!" In two strides he was right in front of her, is face thrust into hers. He lowered his voice, but the tone was as full of emotion as the roars had been. "If you ever come that close to being killed again, I swear to you I will never speak to you again. I can't take this with you. You're right, alright?! I wouldn't have this kind of problem with Jesse or even Emma. Don't you know that there is not another woman in the world that I would…" he checked himself and Shalimar held her breath. It was the moment, she felt. Their relationship would change in this moment. All she had to do was say something, close the gap between them, or something. Instead, they stared at one another for another moment before stood and turned away.

Shalimar's chest ached and she drew her first deep breath in what felt like minutes. She swallowed and felt herself relax in disappointment. She looked at the floor for a moment and when she raised her eyes again, she saw that Brennan had started preparing for bed. His shirt was off and his chest rippled with muscles as he climbed into bed and lay with his hands tucked under his head. Again, she felt bitter disappointment. He would not be coming to her room that night. There was no need, she was healed, but for one second she wished that she wasn't. She swallowed again and stood.

"You can tell me anything, Brennan," she said as she made her way toward the door. "Don't be afraid to talk to me." When she reached the door, she thought he would speak again, but he didn't and she exited his room and closed the door with a lump in her throat, though she almost couldn't admit to herself why.

That night Shalimar dreamed again. In her dream, the sights and smells were clearer. The scent of the man who had healed her lingered in her room and she felt a touch of recognition from sometime before the healing the previous night. She thought about Brennan and his harsh words about her not thinking before she acted. She saw the face of the woman who had attacked her and her smile before she hit Shalimar with what had felt like a sledgehammer. Her eyes had changed for just that one second. Not only her eyes, but her entire face had changed. Her dream-state went over the change more slowly. For a moment, just before Shalimar had been hit in the stomach, another mutant's face had peered out of the lovely, petite brunette. A face, and a scent. It was the scent of her healer, the face of a man.

I love critiques. I cannot stress this enough. I am a professional writer and love to hear feedback from people about what I am doing that intrigues them and what I can do better. If anything stood out to you, please point it out. Even a short critique is better than nothing. Thank you to everyone in advance for reading my story, a new chapter will be coming up soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Cerulean Eyes

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Pairings: Brennan and Shalimar

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

Shalimar woke with a start. The dream she had the night before had made clicks in her memory that made her catch her breath. Quickly, she grabbed the pants that she had dropped by her bed the night before. Tugging them on as she raced for the door, Shalimar was only half dressed as she exited her room. Jesse, walking down the hall, stopped dead in his tracks surprised at her precipitant departure from her room. Sliding her pants over her nearly naked ass, she activated her COM-ring and yelled for Adam. Jesse followed her as she ran down the hall toward Adam's location. Jesse asked her questions at first, but the pace she set left little breath for discussion. She could hear Adam calling for the rest of the group to meet them in the lab, concerned by Shalimar's tone.

Shalimar arrived with Jesse in tow, breathing hard, and wasted no time getting her conclusions off her chest.

"It's wasn't a woman. It was a man. The same one that was in my room last night. He's the mutant that injured me." The rest of the team blinked at her in surprised confusion. She nearly stamped her foot in frustration. "That's why we couldn't find her in any of the databases. I recognized the scent in my room. I thought I was imagining it before, or he was masking his scent in my mind, but when I went in last night, I thought I recognized his scent. In my dreams, I remembered a moment before that bitch hit me. I thought I had seen another face staring out of hers, a man's face and I remembered the scent I had smelled just for a breath. It was the same. The mutant that injured me is the same one that healed me. That's why Emma had so much trouble pinpointing it. It's not a man, not really. I think we are dealing with a split personality, one that has both a man and a woman. That's why he kept saying that she was his responsibility. She _is_ him." The rest of the group remained silent, still going through her reasoning and Shalimar nearly screamed in frustration. Then her eyes widened and she really did scream. Not in frustration, but in pain. Down her arms, muscles and bone started moving of its own accord. Brennan rushed forward, but she threw a hand out to stop him. He fell back with a cry. His shirt was ripped across his chest where the claws that had once been Shalimar's hands had brushed him. Shalimar almost didn't notice that she had injured Brennan, her attention still concentrated on her arms. The flesh rippled and for a moment, the entire group could see the tendons, veins and bones that were on the inside of her arms. Shalimar screamed in pain as she fought the change that was coming over her body. She fell to her knees and the pain stopped as abruptly as it had started. Shalimar collapsed in exhaustion, feeling drained. Her hands made contact with the floor with tiny clicks. Shalimar held her hands up in front of her face, horrified. Her hands were elongated; four of the fingers ending in wickedly curved claws. Her thumb had retracted and slid up her arm nearly to her wrist. Her wrists and forearms were a little larger, to compensate for the extra weight of the hands and claws. They looked monstrous.

Hands gripped her forearms, holding her steady as she fought a wave of nausea just from staring at her hands. Adam knelt at her left, lifting first one eyelid then the other and staring into her eyes. He seemed upset by what he saw there. Shalimar wondered what it was, knowing that whenever she had used her senses before, her eyes had changed from normal human to a feline color with cylindrical pupils. Her mouth was having trouble closing and after he was done looking at her eyes, Adam pulled her lips away from her teeth. Whatever changes he saw disturbed him. He released her face and went around behind her. She heard a whispered conversation behind her and her heightened senses automatically started to pick up on it when the hands that held her forearms yanked on her arms so hard that she cried out. The pain forced her attention to the person holding her arms. She was surprised to see Jesse in front of her face, so close that their noses almost touched. His hands holding onto her forearms were strong. She snarled at him through the pain and felt incisors on her upper and lower jaw bite into her lips as she pulled them away from her teeth. Jesse barely blinked. He just tightened his grip on her arms. She whimpered. He lessened his grip ever so slightly and she tried to strike. His hands barely moved at all as she lunged at him. Her teeth snapped shut only a hair's breath from his face. He flinched, but did not let go.

Other hands reached her from behind and she snapped at those too, but they managed to capture her head without getting bitten. Adam's voice was in her ear.

"Fight it, Shalimar!" he exclaimed. "It's just like Brennan's episode this morning. You must fight it! Breathe!" His hands held her head still and he spoke to her slowly, his voice getting softer with each passing moment. Shalimar shut her eyes and _felt_ the beast inside her. Slowly, and with great difficulty, she forced the beast down until it was just a purring sensation in the back of her mind. As she did so, she felt the flesh of her arms begin to change. The fingers that held her arms slipped on the bloody flesh that was exposed during the change. Jesse felt the bones slide underneath his hands and raised shocked eyes to Adam who shook his head, his eyes serious. Jesse took a deep breath and held on. With audible cracks, the bones went back to normal and both Jesse and Adam breathed easier. Shalimar collapsed to the floor, feeling the darkness of unconsciousness trying to suck her down. Jesse released her arms and backed up slightly. Adam also backed slightly away from her, feeling an uncharacteristic and unscientific fear of his favorite Mutant X member. It was Brennan that lifted Shalimar's head from the floor and spoke to her gently, coaxing her back into consciousness.

As she started to come round, Emma knelt next to them and checked her subconscious. She was pleased by what she found. The feral feline within Shalimar was as close to being suppressed as possible. She had watched in fear and awe as Shalimar had shifted from a beautiful young woman to a half-feline feral creature complete with spots of color in her hair and on her skin. She had fought the urge to run to her, feeling that the boys would be better in this fight. She also held Brennan back from helping. His face was terrible with fear for Shalimar. Only when the others had released the blond young woman had she released Brennan. She felt an inordinate amount of anger toward Adam and Jesse, who had handled themselves admirably during the crisis, but had looked horrified to continue to touch Shalimar after she was back to normal. Even she had hesitate, which would explain the anger at the others, she thought to herself. Shalimar seemed normal, or as normal as she could be under those conditions.

It took a while for everything to calm down, but after everyone was supplied with strong coffee or tea and were sitting in comfortable surroundings, Shalimar explained her dream again, this time keeping a tight hold on her emotions.

"Last night, when I entered my room, I felt the healing mutant's presence again, this time being able to scent him from the bed sheets. I assume that during the episode, he masked what he could of my mind so that I wouldn't even be able to smell him well enough to recognize it. However he forgot the residue that is left behind. When I went to bed, I thought I recognized the scent from recently. It was distinctly masculine, but there were pheromones that I recognized from just before I was injured. I Layman's terms, the healing mutant smelled like the blue-eyed mutant. The only difference was the masculine/feminine aspect. I was still confused when I went to sleep. My subconscious mind supplied the answer in the form of a dream. It was actually a memory, but I didn't remember it. I remembered that just before she hit me, the mutant's face underwent a remarkable change. Just for a split second, I saw another face trying to break out of the face of the woman. It was the face of a man and he had brown eyes. Then the woman blinked and it was gone. It was slightly disconcerting, but lasted for a millisecond. I think that I wouldn't have noticed it at all if the scents hadn't been so similar. When I first identified the scent, I thought it might be identical twins. It was the dream that convinced me otherwise. I know it sounds crazy, but I am absolutely sure that if we look in our databases for a man matching the description I can give you, we will find him." The rest of the team obviously had doubts, all except Brennan.

"All right," he said, standing. "What are we waiting for?" The rest of the team looked around, and there was silent acquiescence. Jesse and Shalimar went to the computer and started looking. Jesse was uncomfortable, but managed to work without revealing any of his feelings to Shalimar. At least, he thought so. Shalimar had noticed the face that he had maintained an artificial distance between them since she had shifted. The care with which he managed not to touch her made it very awkward. She felt slightly miffed, but hadn't felt terribly isolated since only half the team was treating her like she was disturbed. Emma and Brennan hadn't felt such reticence. It was only a matter of a few moments before Jesse came upon a picture that made Shalimar pause and identify as the mutant in question. Surprised, Jesse called the rest of the team over. Once together, Brennan also identified the man.

"I know it's a guy, but it looks like the woman we were tracking. He has a feminine quality about him and I feel as though I know him. Maybe a vague sense of recognition isn't much to go on, but it's all we have. I think we should try to find him." Adam agreed with only a slight hesitation. They were lucky – the database listed his last known address.

He sent Brennan and Shalimar out by car, with the Helix overhead to cover them if needed. Adam certainly wasn't taking any chances.

The drive was companionable, but taciturn. Shalimar still stung from some of the things that Brennan had said the night before and Brennan was ashamed of his words. He also was thinking hard, something he rarely did seriously. Shalimar's transformation had had all the same symptoms as his own power surge. They had both been pretty emotional at the time that their powers began to spike and they had recently been in the presence of this unidentified mutant. Shalimar's transformation had frightened him, not by what she became, but the pain in her voice as the change had taken over her. He hoped that she didn't have to go through that every time she changed, especially if this was to become a habit with her. Shalimar's thoughts were floating along the same lines. The change had been much smoother and less uncomfortable as she changed back. She went over the differences in her head between that time and the first. Then it hit her.

"I wasn't struggling," she said and blinked. Brennan was looking at her funny. "Did I say that out loud?" she asked slightly embarrassed. He nodded.

"I think I know what you were thinking about, though. I had just come up with the same conclusion. The first time you changed, it wasn't even a possibility that you knew what was going on. You struggled against your body and that is why it hurt so much. You expected to be turning back into Shalimar and so the change came easily the second time." Shalimar looked at him in surprise.

"You certainly seem to know a lot about it," she quipped. Brennan grinned and shook his head.

"I hope not," he sobered and glanced at her, a serious expression on his face. "Seriously, Shalimar, this… this change in you could be a severe handicap in the middle of a fight unless you get a handle on it. Mine, at least, doesn't hinder me. The only hindrance is in my conscience. I don't like to kill." He suddenly looked thoughtful. "On second thought, that could be just as much of a handicap. I either have to get used to killing or get this thing under control." He was surprised by the warm presence of her hand on his.

"It is not a weakness to dislike killing," she soothed. "The weakness comes when we start enjoying killing." Her eyes were haunted and hard. "And when we can no longer remember all those we've killed." Her fingers tightened on his arm and knew he could bring her no comfort. They drove on in silence, remembering. "I don't think it's going to be a problem for me. I always knew it was possible for this to happen. At least I changed back. The only fear for me is that there will be a time that I won't change back. I wonder what'll happen then." Brennan linked his fingers through hers, giving as well as receiving comfort with their tightly clasped hands.

"Do you remember the first person you killed," he asked suddenly, his thumb caressing her fingers in an attempt to make the question less painful. Even so, her fingers tightened slightly before she answered.

"Yes," she said simply. "I remember all of them." Her tone and face did not encourage continued conversation, so he let it drop for now. They drove along in silence again, continuing to hold hands. The comfort was too great to be given up easily.

Fortunately, it was only a short while later that they found their quarry's home. It was in the middle of suburbia; a small house made of brick with a white front door. The gate was open and there was no car in the driveway, but the garage door was closed. Shalimar scented the air as they passed by, trying to ascertain if the mutant was home. The scents were fresh, but not too, so either he had left several hours before, or he had come home and not left again for some time. Brennan drove without slowing down until they reached the end of the block. Then he pulled the car over and put it in park. Together with Jesse and Emma, they decided on a course of action. Brennan would wait in the car for several minutes and Shalimar would stake out all the entrances and exits available to the occupants and report them back to the others. She exited the car and made immediately for the woods behind the suburban houses. It was the work of only moments before she had ascertained where all the doors and exitable windows were as well as the fact that there were two people in the house. She knew at least one of them was the mutant they were after because she recognized his scent. She was also certain that the other person in the conversation was not his alternate personality, but an actual live person because she had seen two forms crossing the window at the same time. Both were men. She wondered how much of a danger this other mutant would be.

She had apprised the others of the situation and was crouching below one of the windows when the door opened. A man exited the house, turning to speak a word of farewell to his companion who stood in the doorway. Shalimar was certain that she could not be seen, but as the stranger got into his car, the mutant wandered toward her and spoke.

"Ms. Fox," he said, continuing to wave at the departing car. "What a pleasant surprise. Won't you come in and take refreshment? I would include your companions in my invitation, but I don't think they would be comfortable enough with me to accept. Please, come in. I have tea or coffee if you prefer." His voice was more well-bred than she remembered, but she was certain that it was the same. After only a moment's hesitation, she stood and took the extended hand. He helped her up the porch stairs, quite unnecessarily, and ushered her through his open front door. The treatment he gave her was very gallant. She could almost wish that others would offer the same courtesy to women in this day and age. She frowned, but was secretly pleased by the old-fashioned attentions. The door closed behind her.

In the street, Brennan was just sprinting up to the house when he saw Shalimar enter it. He called her name, but she either did not hear or chose to ignore him. He called her name again as the door closed behind her, then activated his COM-ring to update Jesse and Emma. They expressed concern over Shalimar's audacity and let Brennan know they were on their way to back him up and not to follow Shalimar without them. Brennan's breath came faster with anger at Shalimar's independent action and at the mutant who had taken her hostage.

Inside the house, the mutant sat Shalimar down in a straight-backed chair, taking out a tea set and placing it on the table at her elbow. He then sat opposite her and requested formally that Shalimar be good enough to pour for them both. The tea set was made of very fine china, the room richly decorated. The mutant's formality didn't seem out of place in the slightest, but Shalimar knew nothing of pouring tea, at least not formally. She felt comfortable, but unfamiliar, as though it was a home of a distant relative. She started to pick up the teapot, an automatic gesture that came as naturally as taking his arm had been, when she thought better of it.

"It seems to me it would be better if I knew to whom I was serving," she intoned, cocking her head slightly. He smiled slightly and inclined his head in acknowledgement of her clarity. She resisted the urge to smile back at him and pour for them, an urge, she was now sure, that was instigated by him. He smiled again, obviously feeling her fighting his suggestions. He decided to answer her question.

"My name is Caelum," he acknowledged. "I am the man who healed you two nights ago. If you have found me here, I should also tell you that Caerul, my twin sister, is the one who attacked you almost a week hence." Shalimar cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Let us dispense with such lies, Caelum. I know that Caerul is not your sister's name, but your alternate personality and that if you are aware of her enough to feel responsible for her actions, then you know that you have an alternate personality and know what she does." Shalimar's eyes widened as Caelum's eye color changed dramatically. For a moment, the startlingly blue, cold eyes of her attacker stared out at her from Caelum's face. Then he blinked, his eyes were back to a deep chocolate brown. The change had been so startling and intense Shalimar shrunk back in her chair, her heart pounding.

Caelum dropped her gaze and hung his head slightly. "I apologize for startling you, Ms. Fox. I wasn't aware that you knew about my… difficulty. Strong emotions make it harder to control myself. I can hardly keep up the pretense that I don't know what you are talking about, can I?" Shalimar shook her head and he nodded. "Well, then, my dear. If you would please pour refreshment for us, I will relate my unfortunate history to you." Shalimar saw no reason not to, so she did as he asked. The tea came out steaming hot. Shalimar poured one for her host before pouring one for herself. Caelum indicated that he would prefer his tea with honey. Shalimar took hers with a lot of milk and two sugars. Caelum took a deep drink of his tea before he began. Shalimar emulated him, tasting a sweet orange tea with just a slight bitter taste. She wasn't overly fond of tea, but took sips during the conversation to be polite.

"To begin with, I already told you my name is Caelum. I don't really have a family name. I was called Caelum of Norwich. It is a village in England. I was born to an aristocratic family, one who owned the land and all the people in it for generations. I was born in the year 1836…" Shalimar dropped her cup.

"What?!" she gasped. Then she scoffed. "If you are going to tell me the story of your life," she chided, "you might want to start with something a little more believable." Caelum simply looked at her patiently. "You can't really expect me to believe that you are nearly 170 years old, do you? That is a little farfetched." He smiled slightly.

"Did you never see the X-Men movies?" he asked, mockingly, though she suspected it was self-loathing that prompted the mocking rather then directed at her. "I have the ability to heal. My body's cells reproduce faster than most other people's so I have aged far more slowly than any other person alive…" he hesitated, "with one obvious exception."

"When did you first know about… Caerul?" she asked, slightly hesitating over the name.

"You must understand the world back then was very different. My mother actually did give birth to twins, myself and Caerul. We were Siamese twins, attached at the hip, quite literally. Caerul was born disfigured – her head was not completely formed and she had other problems. The surgeon was sent for and only an hour after my birth, I was cut away from my sister. I still carry the scar. My mother was terribly pleased that she had been able to bear children – she was unwell and over thirty at the time of my birth. The midwife handed me to my mother and Caerul to my father. My father broke Caerul's neck in front of my mother. I think that was what broke her. The mother I knew was kind and loving, but a little out of touch with reality. As far as I know, my father never touched her again. He thought of me as an abomination as well, I think, because of my attachment to my sister. It was soon after I first started to speak that he realized something was different about me. I had nurses, but I only remember a few of them. I do remember my mother buying me girls clothes and dressing me in them during her time with me. I don't believe she ever called me 'Caelum,' only 'Caerul.'

"I only remember a little about my childhood, but my mother's death I remember as though it were yesterday. I must have said something while in company with him that hinted at my mother's illness. My father found her in my nursery playing with me. I was dressed in a pink muslin frock. He looked at me and at my mother and then reached out and slit my mother's throat. Some of her blood got onto my dress and my face. I don't remember anything after that for several years.

"I found out later that my the constable came to our home and concluded that there had been some kind of earth tremor that had happened directly under our house because both my parents bodies were found buried under the rubble that had been that wing of our house. The official version was that both my parent's deaths were accidental. It was nearly half a century before I understood that it was neither an earth tremor nor an accident that had killed my parents. It was I."

Shalimar's broken cup lay on the floor, ignored. She was listening intently to the narrative, so intently that she failed to hear the noises coming from outside the house. Outside, Brennan, Jesse and Emma were working diligently to get inside. They were having the most difficult time crossing the lawn. Every step they took brought them further away from the house. Emma was thinking very hard and very rapidly, but was coming up blank. It was Jesse who had an absurd idea. He started running as fast as he could backwards, still facing the house. He rapidly crossed the yard and got to the porch. Brennan and Emma realized what he was doing at the same moment and they reached the porch only a step or two behind Jesse. There they were forced to stop, not because they weren't willing, but because something held them fast and no matter how they tried, their bodies refused to respond. Brennan could hear voices in the house and after several minutes of struggling in vain, he calmed slightly and bent his head to listen through the window.

"I traveled. I had to make my way somehow, and my ability of healing, though slightly eccentric, was enough to make my way. I made something of a name for myself and most people were more concerned with the healing than with the method of it. My eccentricities forced me to keep everyone out of the sick room while I worked. My other abilities helped me to do that, but I was discovered once. A woman, I still don't know her name came in while I was healing her brother. It was close to the turn of the last century, and they were a trifle prudish about sexuality and especially so-called manly love. It is my curse that my healing ability only works in a way that is so commonly misunderstood." Shalimar, remembering her fight with Brennan, silently agreed.

"It was that day that I started realizing that something _else_ was wrong with me. Up until that time, I had believed that my mother and father had died the way I had been told. That day taught me differently. When the woman walked in, I interrupted my ministrations because she screamed. I tried to silence her, but she would not be quiet. Suddenly my body started doing things I didn't ask it to do. My hand came down over the woman's mouth, but the fingers were different. The woman's eyes widened as she looked at me, but my hand on her mouth and my fingers down her throat stopped her from making any sounds. My lips brushed her year and I spoke to her in a voice not my own, 'So sorry you interrupted, woman. It is too bad you decided to come home early. I'm afraid neither you nor your brother will be receiving healing ever again.' The hand over her mouth, my hand and yet not mine, started to glow. Her mouth and cheek began to glow with my hand. I took it off her, feeling horror within myself, but unable to express it with my body. The woman's face continued to glow blue. She whimpered and fell to the ground. I stepped around her and paused at the doorway. I pressed my hand there and saw the same glow of blue leave a handprint on the wall. I looked back at the woman and felt some kind of rush of energy inside me. Then the woman's head blew apart.

"There was so much horror in my mind after seeing that, I almost didn't notice that my feet were taking me away from that place. I only went into the courtyard before I felt the rush of energy again. The room I had been in collapsed inward, covering the body of the woman and crushing to death the man I had been healing. I could not understand what had happened. It was like watching through a stranger's eyes something so horrible it was scarcely imaginable. When I reached my rooms at the inn, I looked in the mirror and saw a woman's face. I felt the face with my hand and saw a woman's hand. The face smiled at me and spoke. 'Brother dear,' she said to the mirror, 'Surely you remember your darling sister, Caerul.' Then, I must have collapsed or something, when I returned to the mirror, the face was mine.

"It took years for me to piece together what I had seen that night and what monster had been unleashed in me. After that time, Caerul continued to covet our body, claiming ownership when she could. I have fought her for a hundred years or more, but never so hard as when she attacked you. I even succeeded for a moment. That, I suppose, is what gave me away."

Shalimar was stunned by all the information that she had been given over the last half hour or so. She nodded and explained the dream she had had the night after he had healed her. He smiled sweetly and sadly. "I thought as much. Well, now that you know everything, shall we return you to your companions?" That startled Shalimar, she had completely forgotten the rest of Mutant X in he thrall of the narrative. Caelum stood and opened the door for her, letting the light from his rooms illumine the gloom that had fallen as clouds blocked the sun.

The other three members of Mutant X were on the porch when the door opened and they suddenly found themselves able to move again. Brennan and Jesse were angry, but Emma was intrigued. She wondered what kinds of powers this mutant had that he was able to create the kinds of blocks that they had been unable to overcome.

"I'm afraid," said Caelum, "that our time has come to an end. I would invite you all into my home, but I fear now is not a good time. Thank you so much for dropping in on me. Perhaps next time, if you would be good enough to give me some advanced warning of your arrival, I would be more equipped to welcome you as you deserve. Thank you again for coming." So saying, he ushered Shalimar onto the porch beside her companions. Taking her hand in his, he bowed over it, brushing her knuckles with his lips. Shalimar felt her breath catch and her heart skip a beat as his eyes raised to hers and he released her hand. Then he stepped inside and closed the door. Jesse made as if to follow him, but was caught by that same force that made such steps impossible. Brennan took Shalimar by the arm and Emma did the same with Jesse. She, at least, understood the futility of failing to acquiesce to his request that they depart. She led Jesse back to the Helix and Brennan marched Shalimar back to their car. He was furious.

Shalimar was in a daze. Not only had his narrative been informative and descriptive, she had felt his horror and confusion as he recounted it. She felt his goodness and grief and guilt at being involved so intimately with a woman so completely devoid of goodness. His effect on her was profound. She wondered if it was because of the healing, his age and experience, or something more. She was also not blind to the effect he was having on Brennan, an effect that amused and flattered her for reasons she was unwilling to admit.

Brennan had opened the door of the car for her and then deliberately closed it gently after she had sat down. He was driving with more concentration on the road than he needed, and he was driving too fast. She did not admonish him, feeling that it would heighten the tension between them, or even break the tenuous hold he obviously had on his temper. Being in close proximity to Brennan was having a new effect on her. She had felt a connection to Caelum, but Brennan's presence was driving Caelum to the back of her mind. She remembered the feel of his fingers interlace with hers as they had driven out; his form in the doorway of her room, comforting and restraining the natural tendencies that would have irritated her. She remembered the look in his eyes as he had brushed her hair out of her face. It was the little things that crept up on her, threatening to overwhelm. She realized she was staring at him and he was pointedly not looking at her. She felt an ache in her chest at the thought that the anger and tension that was between them now may destroy the years of effort that they had put into building their friendship and affection for one another. She couldn't bare it.

"Stop the car," she ordered unbuckling her seat belt. He jumped at the sound of her voice. Obviously, his thoughts had taken him elsewhere.

"Why?" he growled, studiously avoiding looking at her.

"Now," she commanded in a voice that booked no argument, "or I will do something that might wreck us." Brennan grumbled and scoffed, but did as she had bid him. When they had pulled over into a pullout that was bordered by three sides with woods and one by a sharp turn in the road, he put the car in park and turned his whole body to glare at her. He _was_ in a temper with her.

"What?" he rumbled, his eyes snapping with fury. "What is so damn important that you made me pull over when we are on our way to Adam to fill him in on the evening's shocking new discoveries? Why on earth…" She didn't allow him to continue. Putting her seat belt aside, she rose to her knees and, without even giving him time to ask questions or stop her, straddled his legs with her own. She only gave him time to get out a stifled, "Wha–" before she had gotten his head between her hands and brought her mouth down on his.

At first, Brennan was too stupefied by surprise to do anything but let her kiss him. Then his brain caught up to him. He took her by the shoulders and pulled her away. He looked at her closely, noting the surprised hurt in her eyes that he had stopped her without even retuning the kiss. She couldn't read his thoughts on his face, but she knew he was scrutinizing her actions and her face. What he saw obviously didn't bring him comfort because he kept a firm hold on her.

"Shalimar," his voice was gentle, "What are you doing?"

"This should have happened between us a long time ago, Brennan. You know that." She tried to kiss him again, but his hands tightened on her arms and kept her away from him.

"Whatever should or shouldn't happen between us, Shalimar, this is not right. I don't know what kind of influence this new mutant…"

"Caelum," she supplied.

"… Caelum has had on you, but it is clouding your judgment. We should be on our way home, readying our report to Adam, not sitting out here in the middle of the woods discussing part of our relationship that isn't even there." He heard the words he had spoken and looked as though he had been hit between the eyes. Shalimar's eyes were brimmed with tears. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded, Shalimar. I just don't want you rushing into something like this on a whim or because you feel something for someone else. I don't know how to trust this new directness in you."

Humiliated and not wanting Brennan to see her cry, Shalimar nodded and started to pull away. Brennan refused to let her get away so easily. "Shalimar, I don't want this to come between the relationship we already have." Her face averted, Shalimar nodded again.

"I understand," she said thickly. "Please, let's just go." Again she tried to get out of his grasp and this time he let her. She sat back down in her seat, buckling herself in and put her face toward the window. She felt like such a complete fool. She had let him know how she felt and been rejected. Brennan put the car into gear and tried to think of something else to say as they drove home. It hurt his heart to see her silently wiping the tears off her cheeks, face continually averted for the rest of the drive. He wasn't sure if what he had done was right or wrong, but he also didn't want to be just a release from the feelings she so obviously had for Caelum.

When they reached Sanctuary, Shalimar was more composed, but she wouldn't look at him or touch him. For the rest of the evening, as they made their report to Adam, she didn't address him directly or look in his direction. Brennan had trouble concentrating on her report, as fascinating as it was. He was sure she had told them everything about the interview and glad she had omitted the stop on the drive home. Shalimar went to bed feeling as though she had finally openly admitted her feelings for him and opened her heart to him for the first time and he had callously dropped her. Intellectually, she knew it wasn't as bad as that. He had concerns and they were going to need to address those concerns before they continued deepening their relationship, but it would be a while, she thought, before she tried again.

Thank you to everyone that had reviews for me. I love critiques, no matter their length. I love to know what touches you, what continues to be awkward and what doesn't work at all. Any impressions, even in the negative, are always welcome.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Cerulean Eyes

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Pairings: Brennan and Shalimar

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

The sun had not yet touched the horizon before Shalimar pushed back the covers. For hours she had lain awake going over the scene in the car. She replayed the moments leading up to his rejection, wondering what had prompted her own actions. Perhaps he had been right in thinking that her experience with Caelum had prompted her uncharacteristic behavior. She had raged at Brennan for hours and then berated herself for her stupidity. It was unlike her to spend so much time recapping something like this; it was time for action.

Shalimar made it to the exercise rooms without thinking of anything at all until she stepped into the room. It was already occupied. Brennan was taking out a year's worth of anger on the heavy bags. His back was to her and her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of him. She couldn't breathe for a moment, feeling her chest tighten with fury and longing and shame. Firmly taking hold of her emotion, she took a deep breath and started to turn away but stopped. There was a scent on the air, one she knew but couldn't place. It took her a moment to realize that the metallic scent was that of blood, and she recognized the owner. She swung back around and threw the door open. It slammed against the wall and she had the satisfaction of seeing Brennan jump before whipping around to face her. His face was red, his arms and chest coated in sweat. His hands were covered with the padded gloves he tended to wear when punching the bag, but she could see dents in the bag that hadn't been there a few days ago. The padded gloves were wearing thin as well. She cursed under her breath and stalked toward him.

Brennan watched her advance toward him warily, feeling the tension from her mood, and unsure as to what her anger entailed. He had been cursing himself for a fool since he had taken his first punch at the bag, nearly an hour before. He knew he was no match for Shalimar and in her present mood, he knew she was more than capable of tearing him a new one. He was tense and balanced by the time she got to him, but refused to make the first move. Shalimar reached out and gripped his forearm in a hold that gave him no room for careless movement. She wrenched off the glove with a ferocity that nearly made him cry out with the pain. She hadn't even paused to undo the Velcro on the wrist. His hand wraps were soaked through with his blood. He hadn't even noticed the pain before then. Tenderly, but efficiently, Shalimar unwrapped his hand, dropping the soiled wraps on the ground. She was only slightly less gentle with the removal of his other glove. Neither of them spoke, Shalimar didn't even look at his face. She methodically stripped him of the bloody wrappings before releasing him. Then she stepped back and took a swing at him.

He reacted instantly, sweeping the punch to one side and following up with a jab that would have knocked a full-grown man silly if it had landed. Of course it didn't. Shalimar leaned back away from the blow and brought her leg up and out into his stomach. Her reflexes were quicker than his and her foot connected solidly with his abs. He had only enough time to brace for impact, which was enough to keep the blow from hurting, but he wasn't quick enough recovering. Her second kick caught him in the chest and threw him onto his back on the mats. He expected her to follow up, but she remained upright, in a crouched position waiting for him to recover. He rolled onto his back and used his stomach muscles to flip himself up to his feet. Before he got his bearings, she was gone. His head flicked around and he jumped to the side, just missing being side-punched by a pretty fist that flashed out from behind him. He faced her and circled, neither of them gaining an advantage.

Her face took him by surprise. It was calm, peaceful. From her face, he would never have suspect that she would attack him ferociously at the earliest sign of weakness. He felt the energy of uncontrollable electricity rise in him and felt his heart begin to pound in fear. If he were to let loose on her and it struck… He had had nightmares about the body he had charred, the face changing to those that he loved. Now fear made him clumsy and the electricity in his veins made his muscles cramp. He jumped back away from a swipe to his midsection. The fingers were still human, but there was an energy there that made him even more wary. Her face was utterly and frighteningly still.

He feinted to the right and came hard at her, hoping to end the fight before it really got out of hand with their upgraded powers. For a moment it looked as though she would go for his feint, but at the last moment, she broke away from him and let his momentum take him too far. With moves too quick to comprehend, let alone counter, Shalimar tossed him onto his back, then circled, waiting for him to get up again. It took him several long seconds to realize that she was just toying with him. The surge of anger that that knowledge fueled brought a surge of electricity through his veins. He stilled for a moment, trying to regain the composure that would keep him from killing her. Will alone kept the power in check. He got to his feet slowly, hoping to stall her attack on him, but it didn't work.

The attack came in a series of slashes to his abdomen and a second too late he realized her hands and forearms had shifted. The first block brought a line of lacerations down his arm spraying blood in a humming line of red. Driven by bloodlust, Shalimar's face lost its icy calm. A smile of ferocity and pleasure split her face. Brennan's chest tightened at the feral nature of the beauty in front of him. He threw himself out of her reach and saw her coming. He rolled onto his back, using her momentum just the way she had used his just a moment before. His powerful legs contacted with her stomach as he threw her over his shoulder. Electricity coursed through his hands, spilling into her body where he touched her. She cried out as massive amounts of electric current ran through her body.

When Brennan released her, she went flying through the air. Enough of her instincts remained that she twisted in the air and landed on the balls of her feet and palms. Then her muscles, shaky from exertion and being electrocuted, refused to hold her weight. She was only inches from the ground, so the impact of her body didn't hurt, but she lay there stunned. Brennan, recovering, let out a cry of rage and the electricity that had only moments ago threatened to overwhelm him calmed. He pulled the plug and the energy drained out of him without being expended.

Brennan hurried to Shalimar's side, dripping blood on her as he rolled her onto her back. Her arms had returned to their normal state and her eyes were closed. He swallowed his fear and leaned over her. Shalimar's eyes popped open and her right leg swept out to catch him behind the knees. Both his legs flew out from under him and he landed on his tail with a thud that rattled him to the teeth. He lay on his back, stunned. Shalimar lay on her back, every muscle complaining from the electrocution she had received. For several minutes they lay like that before either of them moved.

"Ow," Shalimar said finally. "I tell you what, ow!" Then she laughed. He laughed too, and both of them winced as bodies complained. Brennan turned his head to look at her.

"I see you have gotten control of your feral shifts," he mused with a half smile. Shalimar continued to stare at the ceiling taking deep breaths. Then she returned his gaze.

"You, too," she said with satisfaction. "Thanks for not killing me, by the way." Brennan grimaced and lifted his arm to check his wounds.

"You could have gone a little easier on me, you know," he admonished, clapping one hand over the worst of the cuts. Shalimar shook her head.

"Nah," she chided, "I told you I would kick your ass the next time we spared. I didn't specify my condition, did I?" Her laugh ended in a groan. "I've really got to learn not to laugh after being electrocuted." She started to sit up, thought better of it, and lay back down. Brennan rolled over, disregarding his own pains and crawled over to her, placing an arm on either side of her shoulders holding his chest inches from hers.

"About last night," he began. Shalimar looked away and shook her head.

"You don't need to say anything, Bren. I'm sorry about last night. I think you were right, I was taking out my feelings on you, something that isn't fair to you and our relationship. It won't happen again." She struggled against the pain of her body to free herself from his rather intimate embrace. Brennan relaxed a little, just enough that their chests touched and his weight kept her pinned to the ground.

"You don't understand, Shal. I really should be the one apologizing. You caught me off-guard and I said things I didn't mean. I think I gave you the impression that I wasn't interested in taking our friendship to the next level. I am, I just don't want to rush into anything without talking about it first because I don't want to lose the kind of love and respect for each other that we already have. This doesn't just affect us, it affects the whole team. What we decide needs to factor that in and rushing into a physical relationship is not the responsible way to do it. You know that. That's why I thought you were under Caelum's influence. You are spontaneous, but not to the point where you would endanger the rest of the team. Whatever hold Caelum has on you, it isn't more important to you than the team and the bond that we already have here. I know it." Somewhere during his speech, Shalimar found herself meeting his eyes and relaxing into his embrace, such as it was. She knew he was right, but there had been something about Caelum. She shook her head, confused.

"I know everything that you're telling me. I have even gone over the same reasoning several times. There is just something about Caelum. I can't put my finger on it. It could be the same kind of response that Emma evokes when she turns on her power, but it felt different. It has a similar feel to the attraction that I had for that other feral, except it doesn't. I'm not attracted to Caelum, not that way. There is something very attractive about his personality, like I was living the events as he told them. I empathized. I felt his pain, shock, anger, guilt, shame, and everything else. I felt his disgust at his sister's deprivation and the despair he feels about being able to stop her. I think he would commit suicide if the religion he was born into didn't consider it a sin." Shalimar's brow furrowed. "He didn't even tell me he was born into Catholicism. Or that he thought about suicide. I just know it is something he's thought about. Brennan," her face cleared of confusion to be replaced with something akin to terror. "Is it possible he mind-fucked me?" Her fear of that power was founded in reality, one of the worst kinds of fears to remove.

"No," he said firmly. "He fed you his own memories. He didn't take away your own. I think it is a little like the power that Emma has over people to feel their emotions except he does the opposite. He made you feel the emotions of his past. I really don't think he violated your mind or memories. He seems more honorable then that." He felt Shalimar relax under him, as though she needed to believe him, like a child being told 'there are no monsters under your bed.' She even sounded younger as she whispered, "You really think so?" He nodded firmly. She let out her breath in a sigh, tension draining from her.

"I thought so too, but it's good to hear it from another source." She started looking around and he saw that she was about to change the subject. "We need to get cleaned up before the others come looking for us." Then she glared at him slightly. "You need to do something about those bloody knuckles," she chided.

"And those bloody arms," he retorted, holding up one ripped forearm and showing it too her. She grimaced, her mouth catching on her upper teeth, a habit which drove him wild. He sat up and moved away from her, trying to stand. He didn't think he was in too bad of condition until he stood and took assessment. He had assorted bruises and his hands hurt. Other than that, she hadn't hurt him much. He offered her a hand, and she was not loath to take the assistance.

The others found them in the medical room. Shalimar had just finished bandaging his arm and was starting to work on his knuckles. Emma took one glance and started lecturing. Shalimar ignored her and soon Emma threw up her hands in disgust at their obtuseness. Adam tried to take over bandaging Brennan, but Shalimar insisted that since she was almost done, he didn't need to trouble himself. Jesse sat back and tried to get the conversation onto Caelum/Caerul, obviously still chafing over the failure to enter the mutant's house the day before.

Adam, surprisingly said very little about Shalimar's obviously edited rendition of the previous evening's events. He seemed to accept the story that Shalimar had given him the night before. She had been completely honest about everything that she told the rest of the team, not holding anything back that had been relayed to her. Now, she asked about the feelings that she had been having of comradery toward the man whose alternate personality had tried to kill her.

"He felt like a long-time friend, someone that I had known for most of my life. I felt as though I knew everything about him," she concluded. Adam shook his head.

"There are cases of people who meet one another and feel an instant connection. It is something that many misinterpret as soul-mates, past-life lovers, or something of the sort. It is something that is considered possible, but unlikely by the scientific world and I am a skeptic. It is more plausible that Caelum has some sort of genetic disposition or even that his charisma has been honed over the many centuries that he has been alive to give him something more than charm. In any other person, we would recognize it as charm, but his age and experience make it harder to determine. If there are soul-mates, I think Caelum has already found his, and it is not one I would wish on my worst enemy." The dark irony was not lost on any of the team, but Shalimar felt offended, though nothing Adam had said could be directed toward her. She was offended for Caelum who wasn't even here to defend himself.

"That is absurd," she told herself, then met the surprised and hurt gaze of Adam and realized she had spoken aloud. "I was just thinking that I found your analysis slightly offensive, not to me but I felt it as if it were my own offense. I know that your words sound reasonable and it is absurd for me to take offense at them. That is what I was referring to. I didn't realize I said it aloud. Sorry." She changed the subject. "It makes good sense. He admitted that he was more than 170 years old, a fact that I didn't believe when he told me. He has had almost two centuries to cultivate his charm and attraction. He is quite good looking." Shalimar's brow furrowed as she thought. Brennan shifted his feet, but she didn't notice. "But there is nothing physically attractive about him. His charisma overshadows any physical characteristics. Caerul had a physical beauty that was almost overwhelming. There different personalities must dictate their physical demeanor."

"I thought he was slightly effeminate looking," Brennan volunteered, hoping he didn't sound as jealous as it had in his head. "In fact, as I think about it now, I would have guessed that Caerul was the dominant personality and Caelum the alternate."

"We only got one side of the twin's story, and that secondhand," Jesse put in. "Perhaps we should listen to what Caerul has to say before we make any decisions about what to do with them."

Shalimar, Emma, and Brennan stared at him incredulously. Emma beat them all to the punch. "Are you out of your mind?" she cried. "That woman nearly killed Shalimar and you want to talk to her? Shalimar hadn't made any kind of threatening movement and now she has what amounts to a bomb inside her stomach."

"Yes, but," Jesse looked chagrinned, "we don't know Caelum's intentions. Perhaps he too wants to kill us, he just has a different strategy or tactics. We don't know that one twin is evil and the other good. We only know what he has told us through Shalimar. I think we should go back and interrogate both twins. That would be more prudent than just taking the word of one personality. Wouldn't it?"

"He has a point," taking everyone by surprise, Shalimar agreed with Jesse. "I don't know that I am completely unbiased when it comes to Caelum, but Jesse is making a lot of sense. No investigation is complete without looking at both sides of the situation. We should investigate further before letting ourselves come to any conclusions."

Adam raised his arm, preventing further discussion. "I agree," he said. "Shalimar, since you have a personal relationship with Caelum, I don't think you should be the one to go pick him up. However, you were the only one that Caelum allowed into his home, so whoever goes probably won't even get to the door without you. Therefore, I think that you should be the one that goes. Brennan will go with her since he is the only one of us besides Shalimar who has met this alternate personality. I don't know if it is the best solution, but They have all been introduced, something that seems to be important to Caelum. We want him as comfortable as possible while not giving away our own advantage. Therefore, Jesse and Emma will come with me to one of the safe houses and we'll set up. Brennan, you and Shalimar bring him, them there, since we know we can't trust Caelum at Sanctuary."

Shalimar hesitated for a moment then said, "Jesse, do you think you could find out if Caelum's house has a fax machine or a phone or something?"

"Sure," he agreed. "Why?"

"Caelum made it clear that we would not be invited in again if we weren't courteous enough to ask for an invitation. I think that means calling beforehand, but it sure as hell means we shouldn't just show up again. If he doesn't have a phone or fax, we may have to have a note delivered and receive an answer before we go."

Adam chuckled. "I'm beginning to like this Caelum. At least he has manners."

Brennan grumbled something and left the room. Jesse shook his head and began searching for any phone lines in the house they had visited the night before. It didn't take very long to find that Caelum did have a fax machine. Shalimar penned a quick handwritten note requesting an interview, signing it with more embellishment than normal. The answer was prompt:

Dearest Shalimar,

It would be my pleasure to entertain you at your earliest possible convenience. Please feel free to bring anyone you would like. I look forward to our next meeting with great anticipation.

Caelum

Shalimar reported the contents of the letter to Adam as she and Brennan hurried to the car. Though they had broken the unbearable tension of the night before, the car was filled to the brim, even with all the windows down. It was like something out of a movie, each looking at the other exactly at the time when the other wasn't looking. Brennan had never been uncomfortable with Shalimar before and he couldn't let the strain continue between them. Halfway to their destination, he reached over and took Shalimar's hand in his. For a moment, it was like holding a bundle of sticks, then her fingers twisted, not in rejection but in order to clasp his more tightly. Brennan mourned the moments when he had to shift gears, but each time, her hand was ready for him. The silence in the car was less oppressive, but Shalimar never met his eyes.

They pulled up outside the house before Shalimar spoke. "I'm not completely sure what to expect when we are in there. I don't want anything to happen to you." She turned her face away from the window and met his eyes for the first time in more than an hour. There was a terrible fear in her eyes and some other emotion as well. Brennan was startled to realize that she was excited at the prospect of going into the house, of seeing Caelum again, but fearful as to what else might unfold this evening. He recognized the same fear in her eyes as he had had so many times for her. Struggling with emotion, he gripped her hand and leaned over. Shalimar's breath caught as his face came closer to hers. His lips brushed her temple and his other hand cupped her cheek.

"I trust you, Shalimar," his breath brushed the curls at her cheek and then he was gone. The driver's side door closed with gentle determination. Before she had recovered herself, he had come around to her side and opened the door for her. Though she had often found it sexist in the extreme, the gesture seemed oddly natural at the present time. As they walked up the porch steps he took her hand in his and smiled at her before knocking on the door.

Caelum opened it, smiling in welcome. His smile slipped only slightly at the sight of their joined hands. Shalimar immediately felt ashamed, as if Caelum had caught her cheating on him. She started to pull away from Brennan, but he just clasped her had tighter and drew her closer to him. Choosing to remain a united front instead of throwing a fit, Shalimar relaxed and entered the house with Brennan at her side. When she let go of Brennan's hand, it was to greet her host and natural instead of guilt driven.

"Shalimar," Caelum exclaimed, clasping her shoulders and kissing her on both cheeks. "So lovely to see you again so soon. And your friend…?" He turned to Brennan, hand extended in welcome. Brennan clasped the hand offered and introduced himself. Caelum, ever the conscientious host, did not ask for an explanation of their relationship, but instead invited both to sit and offered them coffee or tea. Shalimar asked for tea and the two men followed suit, Caelum preferring a strong green tea to the milder mint of Brennan's choice. The conversation was mild and comfortable, but there was a weight in the room that everyone was aware of. Shalimar finally set down her teacup and broached the subject.

"Caelum," she began, "We would like for you to come with us this evening and meet the rest of Mutant X. Adam, our… director, would very much like to meet you."

Caelum sipped his tea, his eyes regarding her over the rim. He cocked his head. "If he is so eager to be formally introduced, why did he not accompany you to this evening's rendezvous?" Brennan had expected a question of the sort and was prepared for it.

"We are uncertain of your motives and Adam felt it more prudent to meet at a more neutral place. He and the others of our team are setting up one of our safe houses as we speak and we would be more than happy to drive you to it." Caelum turned his penetrating gaze to Brennan and studied him for a moment before answering.

"That does not sound much like a neutral location to me. It sounds as though you will have the upper hand not only in the number of your company but we will be at a location of your choosing. However, I am not intimidated by either people or location, so I will accept on condition." Brennan, who had started to relax a little straightened and concentrated on Caelum more intently.

"What condition?" he asked, then cursed under his breath for the abruptness of the question. Caelum surprised him by answering almost immediately.

"I wish to know why Adam wishes to meet with me. Making my acquaintance is all very well, but it is not the reason and all of us know it. If you are honest with me and do not dither and lie to me, I will come with you with full cooperation. If you lie to me," here his voice rose just slightly and the room began to fill with energy that neither Shalimar nor Brennan had ever experienced before, "you will have to take me out of my home by force and I guarantee that you will not be able to do that. Therefore, it behooves you to be as frank and honest as possible." He looked expectantly to Shalimar. She exchanged glances with Brennan and saw the resignation in his face that mirrored her own emotions. Taking a deep breath she told him.

"You are much more powerful than the rest of us, probably put together. I related the story you told to me to the rest of the team and they were hesitant to take it on faith. Adam would like to talk to you directly and get more information. Also, he believes that you will not be the only person from whom he needs information. There are two sides to every story and if Caerul would be willing to talk to us, we would like to hear her side of the story as well. Also, I think it is possible that you have created some kind of connection between us and I am afraid of it. I would like you to remove it or tell me how to." Her breath came a little quicker in fear, but she controlled her voice. Caelum regarded her with sorrow written plainly on his face.

"I gave you my word that I would come with you if you told me the truth. I will honor my word. However, I would like to go on record as saying that I think it is a mistake to speak with Caerul. She is not as pleasant as I and the connection you fear, Shalimar is not between you and I, but you and she. I drew upon it to heal you and later, when I related my story, you empathized because of your connection with Caerul. I fear what may happen during this confrontation." He took a deep breath and steeled himself before rising from his chair. "Let us get this over with then," he said, and turned toward the door. Then his back stiffened. He cried out in a wordless expression of horror and pain and doubled over. Shalimar ran to him but before she reached him, Brennan grabbed her from behind and threw her over the couch. Stunned by his actions, she had just enough wits to relax for impact and roll when she landed, coming to her feet with no hurt. Brennan and the couch were now between her and Caelum. Before she had time even to move, she saw Caelum straighten and swing back toward them. Brennan placed himself directly in her line of sight, but she managed to get a good look at Caelum first.

His hair was longer and curly, covering a face with feminine delicacy. The body under his clothes was shapelier and too small for the clothes that adorned it. The hand that pushed tucked the hair behind an ear was longer fingered and refined. The eyes that were exposed by the movement were a startling shade of blue.

Caerul smiled at Brennan, plucking something from the pocket of her jeans and tying her hair back from her face. The smile was predatory and full of sexual energy. She swayed toward him, stripping the man's shirt from her and exposing a tank top that clung to her curves. Tossing the shirt onto a chair, she continued to advance on Brennan. Shalimar, realizing the peril she was in, dropped to a crouch behind the couch, trying to minimize her presence.

"I heard you wished to speak with me," the voice was husky and heavy with menace. Shalimar's breath came faster at the tone, one she recognized from her time hunting. From under the couch, she watched the feminine feet step out of the larger shoes and continue to advance toward Brennan. "What would you like to know?"

"Your side of the story," Brennan's voice was completely calm and he hadn't moved a step further from the very dangerous woman coming toward him. "We've heard Caelum's side and we would like to know your take on your life story. Would you mind telling me now?"

Caerul's voice was tinged with laughter. "Of course not, but don't you think we should be properly introduced before we recount our life stories?" Brennan swallowed the edge of fear as she reached out to him. Meeting her eyes, he took her hand and raised it to his lips. Surprise registered in her eyes, then she smiled more invitingly.

"Brennan Mulray at your service, mademoiselle. May I have the pleasure of your name?"

Caerul, continuing to clasp his hand, inclined her head and curtsied with more grace than many woman could have shown. "Caerul of Norwich, kind sir. It is so refreshing to meet a true gentleman. Please make yourself comfortable. Tea?"

Brennan accepted with thanks and seated himself in one of the straight-back chairs, hoping not to give her the opportunity to sit beside him. She busied herself with the teapot and poured him another cup. Though he tried not to, their fingers brushed as she passed it to him. He managed not to spill any, but saw the murderess humor in her eyes. She seated herself across from him on a chaise lounge, tucking her feet under her as though she were in the most flamboyant gown instead of a pair of men's jeans and undershirt.

"Most of what my brother told you was completely true and accurate as far as it goes," she began, sipping daintily at her tea. "What he didn't tell you was what he didn't know. I was born his twin, but when our father murdered me, my personality was still attached to Caelum. We were born connected in mind as well as body. It took longer for my personality to develop because of the dominance of his, but I was able to take over from time to time. There were whole days that were mine and Caelum never knew. The first time I gained complete control for a long period of time was when my sire murdered my mother. The trauma was just what I was looking for and too much to bear for poor Caelum. He always had such delicate sensibilities. Our father was so startled when he saw me. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, which I suppose I was to him. When he tried to back up, my mother, who was barely alive, grasped his leg and he fell over. The back of his head struck something and he was unconscious for quite a time. When he came to, I had finally gotten a grasp on my power and was able to smile at him before I blew his head apart. I think that was even more of a shock to him. I don't think it ever occurred to our father that he could be killed. Destroying the rest of the nursery was not really my idea, but I thought it was a good one and it allowed me to escape.

"I continued my hold on our body for quite some time. I was passed from relative to relative, always shunned because I was a girl. I took my revenge on a couple of them, but nothing compared to my father's death." She smiled an eerily fond smile remembering. "I was able to keep control of our body for nearly two years. It was wonderful. But Caelum gained his strength back and returned. We were nearly fourteen and passed around the family for years until he started making his way in the world. I had to be content to remain virtually anonymous. Every once in a while Caelum would wake in a different place than he had fallen asleep, but he believed himself to suffer from sleepwalking. It wasn't until the incident he told Shalimar about that he learned of my existence. After that we made a deal. I was allowed to have our body for one day each week. I continued to use it while he slept, but having one day of freedom was fantastic. I had to promise to be good and not blow up any buildings, but I thought it was worth the price of freedom. I have gotten stronger over the years and can sometimes take control when I want, like I did tonight. I suppose you stil would like your friend Adam to examine me, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that. It was lovely meeting you, though Brennan. I really like you. May I show you to the door?"

She stood and Brennan stood as well, grateful to have the coffee table between them. He had no intention of leaving without her, but her blunt, slightly fond rendition of the murders she had committed had frightened him more than he was willing to admit. He was acutely conscious of Shalimar, still behind the couch. Therefore he was unprepared when Caerul appeared right in front of him. She was much quicker than she looked. Her eyes were blazing with lust and anger and her hands were nearly on his chest before ha was able to catch them by the wrists. Caerul's face underwent a strange contortion and she screeched in rage. Brennan, unprepared for the ferocity of the attack used his height and weight to throw her away from him. Caerul flipped and landed on her feet, launching back at him with barely enough time to draw breath. Fortunately, Brennan had been prepared by his fights with Shalimar to have honed his response time. He was able to counter her attack, concentrating on not letting her hands touch him at all. He caught her in a hold and spun her into him so that her arms were crossed in front of her. She bit him and his hold loosened.

Caerul and Brennan were barely conscious of the form that leapt over the back of the couch, then danced back as a leg was flung in her direction. Shalimar watched Brennan fighting for his life against Caerul's ferocious attacks. She honed her senses to those of the feral and felt the energy inside her that had caused her body to shift. Carefully, she unrolled that power and brought it out in a sweet, tingling rush.

Shalimar's hand shifted into claws as she swiped the woman who was attacking Brennan. Caerul's attention shifted to Shalimar and she smiled slightly. Her hand came between them and her fist started to open. Shalimar felt a blossom of pain in her stomach. Suddenly, Caerul paused, her brow furrowed, her eyes intent on her hand. Shalimar took advantage of her hesitation, thrust out and plunged her clawed hand into Caerul's stomach, ripping through the soft flesh and tissue. She ripped her hand back out, taking with it blood and thicker things. Caerul's eyes and mouth opened wide in panicked shock. She dropped to her knees in front of Shalimar and coughed. A rapid change came over her and when her eyes again met Shalimar's, they were brown. Caelum smiled slightly and fell onto his side.

Shalimar reached him in time to keep his head from falling to the ground. Brennan was there only a moment afterward. Shalimar lifted Caelum's head onto her lap and wiped the blood away from his face with her unclawed hand. He smiled at her breathing hard.

"Thank you, Shalimar," he whispered. Shalimar blinked away tears and Brennan put both hands over the wound to keep Caelum's intestine from falling out onto the street. Caelum shook his head. "Don't bother trying to keep me alive. I know I'm dying." Shalimar shook her head.

"Can't you heal yourself?" she asked. Caelum's head fell slightly to the side and he smiled again.

"Yes," he shook his head. "But I won't." Shalimar choked on a sob. Feeling her hand return to normal, she placed her bloody fingers on his hand. He laced his fingers through hers, gripping it tightly as his eyes held hers. "If I heal myself, I would also heal Caerul. She would always have power over you, Shalimar. Her curse never leaves until she dies or it explodes. Even death of the victim would not keep their body safe from her curse. That," he nodded at the fist-print on her stomach, bared by the tatters of her shirt, "would never heal. I won't see her kill you, Shalimar. I can't. Burn our body. We dare not risk having her survive my death. I should have done this long ago. Thank you, Shalimar." He reached up, straining his neck, to bring his face closer to hers. One bloody and one clean hand on each of his cheeks, she helped him raise his face to hers. For a moment, his lips met hers with a desperate intensity. Then his head fell back, the weight of his torso dragging him back down to the ground. His eyes were open and glazed in death. Shalimar took a shuddering breath, and raised her eyes to meet the gaze of Brennan. His eyes were sympathetic rather than accusing. He leaned forward and brushed her hair from her face, wiping away a tear. His sympathy gave her courage, but still she wept. Wept for the man who had lived more than a hundred years with guilt, but who had finally found his peace and honor in death. Together, Shalimar and Brennan lifted his body and took it back with them to Sanctuary.

That evening,

Shalimar stood by herself in the woods behind Sanctuary, the pyre she had built in front of her. Jesse and Adam had helped carry Caelum out here and arranged his body on the pyre, but had known without asking that Shalimar wished to be left alone to return Caelum to the earth. Emma had offered, but hadn't pressed the issue at Shalimar's refusal. She hadn't seen Brennan since they returned to Sanctuary. Standing out there in the woods, Shalimar wondered why this man's life and death had affected her so much. Adam had told her it was probably due to the fact that he had healed her and then saved her life. He explained that to men of Caelum's generation, those actions had bound her to him on a basic level. Shalimar had accepted the explanation as far as it went but she knew that it hadn't covered why _she _had felt the attachment to Caelum. A sound behind her cut through her reflection. When she turned, Brennan stood there, clad in a black coat and dark jeans. He leaned slightly against a tree watching her. Hesitatingly, she took a step toward him. He pushed off the tree and came toward her. When only a few feet of distance remained between them, they stopped, neither moving to close the distance. Shalimar laced her fingers behind her back, thinking of the night before.

"I'm sorry, Shalimar." His voice, soft and deep, startled her into looking at him. "He was a good man." She dropped her gaze, feeling tears sticking her throat. She nodded, keeping the tears in check.

"Yes, he was," she agreed. Slowly, she raised her hand, palm out. "Will you join me?" Her voice broke slightly, fearing that he would decline her offer. She met his eyes, squaring her shoulders and attempted a smile. Fingers touched her palm and she gripped them, her smile becoming more genuine. Together they went to stand by the funeral pyre.

"You haven't lit it, yet," Brennan observed. Shalimar shook her head.

"I was waiting for… something. I wasn't ready to light it yet," she answered his implied question. Internally she know that the moment she lit the pyre, she would have to let him go, there would be no coming back from that. She hadn't lit it yet because she didn't know how to say goodbye to a man she barely knew that had touched her as he had. Brennan's arm slid around her shoulders. She leaned into him resting her head on the swell of his chest, grateful for his warmth and comfort. He rubbed her arm slightly, and she felt Caelum leave her. She still mourned his loss, but she was suddenly ready to let him go.

"Are you ready now?" he asked. She nodded and he lifted his free arm. Without releasing her, he sent a charge toward the pyre. With the proximity, Shalimar felt the electricity run along her body and leave through his fingers. The wood caught fire and he lowered his hand. Together, they watched as the flames rose, covering the body of Caerul and Caelum of Norwich.

As the smoke rose into the air, Brennan turned Shalimar to face him. He brushed his fingers through her hair and cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to look into his.

"Shalimar," his voice was husky as he spoke her name. "I have never known a woman like you. You are the most courageous, honest, infuriating, beautiful woman I have ever met in my life. I am in love with you." Shalimar caught her breath at the quiet words. "I love all the qualities in you that drive me mad just as much as I love the qualities that are wonderful. I wouldn't have you any other way and I want no other woman. I'm not asking for anything from you, Shal. I just wanted you to know that I'm yours… whenever and in whatever capacity you need me. I love you, Shalimar."

Hesitantly, he lowered his face toward hers, having to bend at the waist because of their height difference. Shalimar rose up on her toes, bracing her hand against his chest for balance. As their lips brushed, Shalimar felt the same kind of electricity crackle between them as she had felt pressed against him as he used his power. He caught her face in his hands and her lips with his own. She matched his intensity, but he slowly drew away from her. She looked up questioningly and saw, to her amazement, a look of wonderment on his face. She smiled at him and he smiled back, drawing her face back up toward his. She closed her eyes, expecting.

This time, however, his lips brushed her cheek and then one of her closed lids. She shuddered under the pressure of his mouth. His lips passed over the bridge of her nose and pressed to her other eyelid. They grazed down her cheek and she caught them with her own. Brennan's arms went around her waist and lifted her off her feet. Disliking the sensation of having her feet dangle in the air, she wrapped her legs around his waist and his hands went from her waist to her thighs, supporting her. They never broke the kiss, which had deepened into something passionate as well as loving.

When Shalimar finally came up for air, pressed her forehead against Brennan's both of them fighting for breath. Shalimar smiled and was close enough to feel his smile in response. Shalimar closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of having his arms around her and being so close to him. She never wanted it to end, but Brennan slowly put her back on the ground. When he would have let go of her, she c lung to his collar.

"I love you, Brennan," she whispered, keeping their faces pressed close together. "I should have told you before. I love you and I need you in every capacity." This time, when she kissed him, the kiss had a depth of intensity that would have frightened her only days before. Now it thrilled and excited her. Both broke the kiss, looking deeply into one another's eyes. She could see, even in the low light, the roguish light in his eyes.

"Just remember who said it first," he joked, a half-smile creasing one side of his mouth. She grinned in response and pulled him close to her. Together, they turned and walked back up toward Sanctuary wrapped in each other's arms, leaving the ashes of Caelum and Caerul of Norwich to be carried away on the breeze that ran through the trees in untamed delight.

Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews my stories. I hope that the entire thing was enjoyable and especially the ending. I wil continue to write stories and get them posted more and more frequently, not just for Mutant X. To all my faithful followers and critics, I am so grateful. Thank you and good night.


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